


of ghosts, spirits, or whatever they're called

by asdf8975



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2019-12-31 23:37:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 44,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18324266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asdf8975/pseuds/asdf8975
Summary: An opportunity for Yabuki Nako opened up in South Korea to work in the "Kwon-Kim Celeb Office" as a simple desk worker (or so she claims) and she decided it would be good to take a break from her current life in Japan.  However, she didn't expect her first day to include flying papers, desks, and the scorn of a jealous woman.-----A Ghost Hunter AU primarily focusing on Nako and Hitomi.





	1. Ghost Story 01: Snakes and Daggers

 

_"Grandma, why do some people not make tracks in the snow like you and I?"_

_The metal clanking around the glass stopped as the words slipped from tiny, Yabuki Nako's mouth.  Bright curious eyes drifted from the snowy outside world of the small house in the Akita prefecture to the woman who prepared a hot drink after a full day of playing in the snow.  She blinked in confusion when the older woman came over with a small smile, setting the drink down in front of her. Nako took the drink with a quiet thank you and sipped it._

_She winced at quick prick of pain against her lips, it was hotter than anticipated and she can already hear her Mother lecturing her in her mind._

_"Why do you say that, Nako-chan?"_

_Her Grandmother's question was slow, deliberate, and Nako couldn't make eye contact with her as the elder Yabuki's eyes were towards the window she stared out before.  The child furrowed her brows. "I was playing with Fuyu-chan and I noticed she didn't make deep tracks like me... And when we were making snow angels, hers never appeared."_

_The silence from her Grandmother was deafening for the confused child.  She studied her Grandmother very carefully, trying to pick apart the expression on her face but was left with more questions than answers.  The answer came soon after, but it was another question on the mountain of questions she already had._

_"Do you believe in ghosts, Nako-chan?"_

 

* * *

 

_Thank you for choosing us today, we will begin boarding shortly, please have your…_

The flight attendant’s voice was background noise to the various of passengers and people weaving in and out of the busy, Fukuoka Airport.  Even though it was located at the very west of Japan, it still brimmed with people who traveled domestically and internationally, making an easy connection for travelers to the rest of the Asian countries near Japan.  Near the gate that was preparing to open for passengers going to Incheon Airport in South Korea, a passenger waited patiently in the farthest corner, away from the bustle of the crowds. Next to her, her friend who shared similar long, black hair stared in fascination at the people around.

“How long has it been since you went to Korea?” She asked, her voice light and airy.

There’s no response, the passenger chose to scroll through endless of pictures on Instagram instead.  The girl huffed, cheeks puffed a bit in frustration. “ _Nako._ ”

The passenger--Nako, didn’t look up.  “Just under a year.” She finally replied quietly with a sigh.  Her eyes peered up from her screen, glancing at the status of her flight.  Her friend hummed with thought and leaned back in her seat.

“Too bad I couldn’t go.  My voice didn’t recover in time.” A disappointing frown tugged at her lips.  Nako’s eyes flickered next to her, trying to give her a small smile to cheer her up.  “Yeah you missed out, Miku. Especially with all the delicious food.”

There’s slight pressure against her shoulder as her friend--Miku, slapped her playfully.  “You don’t need to rub it in.” She stuck her tongue out at her. Nako glanced downwards, a rather painful smile turned upwards.  “Korea will be nice, you’ve always been into K-pop. What was that group you’re into? _Once--_ ”

“It’s _Twice_ !”  It was Nako’s turn to puff out her cheeks.  “I thought you were my _partner,_ Miku.”

Miku snorted, about to retort back until they heard someone clear their throat in front of them.  Nako peered up from her phone with a questionable stare, meeting with a female with curled, red-hair.  She was dressed in black, a nice comfortable dress shirt with some slacks and a leather jacket that snugly fit her slim figure. She seemed quite serious, but her face showed some struggle she had.

“E-Excuse me… do you have er… phone electricity…?”

Nako's ears picked up the accented Japanese rather quickly, able to distinguish that the person in front of her was Korean.  She simply smiled back, “Do you need a charger?” She asked in Korean, which surprised the woman, but she quickly let out a sigh of relief.  “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t know you could speak Korean and my Japanese isn’t… great.”

Nako didn’t miss how the woman’s eyes flickered next to her, and from the corner of her eyes she saw Miku stare back with a raised brow.  The brief thought of _why_ plagued her mind, but she didn’t bother with it after she pulled out her charger and held it out with a smile.  “Here. There’s a plug over at that table and I won’t be boarding for a bit so take your time.”

The redhead's eyes snapped back to Nako, and gave her a curt nod.  “I won’t be long, I just need to let my partner know not to worry about me.  She has a tendency to worry her cheeks off.” She grinned playfully and there’s a delighted spark in her otherwise cool expression at the mention.  She left to charge her phone and message whoever she needed to.

Nako watched her backside, observing her stature and clothes.  The word, _partner,_ meant many things, so she wondered who exactly this woman was.  Miku followed her gaze, the same perplexed look on her face.

It was only a period of silence before Miku spoke up.

“I bet her partner is nicer than you.”

It was Nako’s turn to snort, “I could say the same thing about you.”

Another announcement boomed throughout the space and people started to gather their things.  A line started for those who were first boarding and Nako pulled out her ticket from her passport holder--she was near the middle of the plane so she wouldn’t be boarding for at least another twenty minutes.  There was plenty of time.

“Have you decided when you’re going to come back?” Miku suddenly asked, the pair staring out at the window now, looking at the plane that was prepared to take off soon.  Nako leaned back in her seat, holding a neutral expression. Essentially, she was leaving everything behind--her home, her family, her friends, … and some rather painful memories.

“Not yet.  I think this is a good opportunity though.” A small smile broke out on her face, her eyes flickered to the space next to her.  “I’ll have some time to myself to think and experience something different.” She doesn’t miss how Miku smiled as well, their eyes meeting again.  

“You’re not running away, Nako.  I hope you know that.”

The way Miku said that, full of sincerity and honesty, made the pit of Nako’s stomach turn.  She had to swallow a hard lump in her throat. She stood up, hoisting her bags over her shoulder.

“Take care of everyone while I’m gone.” She reached out, her hand quivering as she grazed the very edge of Miku’s shoulder.  Her hand retracted back quickly. Miku didn’t question her rather odd action, she just continued to stare at Nako, her eyes full of understanding.

“I will, you can leave the theatre to me.”

Nako had to cover her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose tightly as she turned around.  She heaved a deep breath, her nerves bouncing around now as emotions started to hit her. Except something actually physically hit her and she let out a small cry, almost dropping her bags.  

“Oh, shoot sorry!  I didn’t know you were going to whip around that fast.”

The redhead from earlier came back, holding her charger in one hand.  Nako shook her head quickly, blinking a few times to get rid of the tears that threatened her.  She took back her charger, “It’s nothing.”

The woman raised a brow, her eyes narrowed as she spotted Nako’s demeanor, but didn’t question it.  She gave her a thankful smile, “I see. Thanks again. Have a safe flight.” She waved to Nako before leaving, gathering her own things and proceeding to the same gate as Nako.

Nako stared up at the sign, heaving in one last breath before heading to the counter to get herself on the plane.

 

* * *

 

The streets of Seoul were similar to Tokyo, that Nako almost felt like she never left Japan. There was a different air to it however, even though the structure was the same, the smell reminded her of Osaka and the various of street food that sizzled in the afternoon sun.  She noted all the food places and cafés, taking an extra note at the ice cream parlors (she was thankful that Baskinrobins thrived in Seoul).

After turning a few corners and walking up a few streets, Nako found herself in a quiet, slightly rundown neighborhood.  She glanced around, eyebrows furrowed. How was an office of a business stuck in such a quiet area?

She combed through the messages of her phone and slowly read a name.

“Woolim… Kwon-Kim… Celeb… Office…”

Each syllable is slow and thorough and she looked around again, trying to find a sign or something.  Judging by the screenshots on her phone and the map, she was supposedly nearby.

She moved her phone down and cried out in surprise, nearly bumping into a girl that somehow appeared in front of her. She dodged around her, the backpack on her back nearly flying off her tiny body. “S-Sorry!” She shouted in Japanese out of habit.

The girl gasped a little, staring at Nako in shock.

Nako realized what she said and quickly switched languages, “I'm very sorry! I didn't see you.” She bowed forward in an apology. The girl in front of her remained silent, even after Nako straightened out.

The shocked face turned into confusion. Nako couldn't help but stare a bit, she was very beautiful, wavy dark reddish hair that reached passed her shoulders and bright doe-like eyes. Now seeing her up close, she looked familiar…

Realizing she was being rude, Nako's face flushed a little. “I-I'll be going now. Please accept my apology.” She quickly mumbled out and turned to flee the scene before she would embarrass herself even more.

“Are… Are you looking for Kwon-Kim Celeb Office?”

Her voice was soft and quiet that Nako nearly missed it. She paused in tracks and glanced over her shoulder, seeing the girl raise a finger towards a building just ahead of her.  Her eyes followed the direction and saw a slightly rundown building. It didn't look like it was completely dying but it didn't strike her as a place to work.

“Thank you!”

Nako quickly replied and dashed off, forcing herself to not look back.

Upon closer inspection, indeed there was the name “Kwon-Kim Celeb Office” etched in the gold plate at the entrance of the building. She glanced inside, some tacky gold wallpaper with a diamond pattern running along the walls and just one stairwell that lead to the second floor.

This seemed like something right from an old detective movie.

Slowly, she climbed the stairs, her eyes darting back and forth between the railing and the walls. There was literally nothing but the old wallpapers.  Not even a painting or anything.

She wondered if the building ever changed since it was first built.

Just ahead of the last step is a frosted glass door, the names _Kwon Eunbi_ and _Kim Chaewon_ etched in the glass. After seeing the name, Kwon Eunbi, she knew she found her place.

Nako took a deep breath, the start of her new life was about to take flight.

She knocked first and then opened the door cautiously, “Excuse my intrusion…”

“Sorry, we're only open to consultations today!”

Nako immediately blinked at the accented Korean as soon as she opened and entered the office. Her eyes immediately fell upon someone at the far side of the room.  Brown eyes stared back at her, raising a brow.

“Is Kwon Eunbi here?” Nako asked, noticing the confusion written on the girl's face. She frowned, Eunbi did say she was going to be here…

“She left this morning with a client. It was a bit of an emergency…” The girl placed the files she was sorting down and stood up. “Eunbi-unnie didn't say she had a guest coming today…” She muttered underneath her breath as she approached Nako slowly.

Nako's eyes widened, taking note of the girl. She immediately noticed her widen cheeks and her tied back brown hair, which made her face more distinguished.

“Are you Japanese?”

She blurted out and the girl blinked and stared down in confusion. Great, that was the second girl today she confused and she's only been in Korea for a few hours.

“Yes?” The answer came back in her mother tongue.

“S-Sorry I…” Nako swallowed, “Didn't expect to run into another Japanese person here.” She replied back, almost sighing in relief about being able to speak in Japanese.

The girl laughed quietly, waving her hand, “I thought you were going to say something about my Japanese.” She paused, moving backwards, “You're looking for Eunbi-unnie, right? She won't be back for a while. You can take a seat in the corner over there.”

Nako nodded, excusing herself and shuffled to the direction of the lounge area at the corner of the office. The office itself was quite spacious, able to host three desks that faced each other, a small kitchen in one corner, and a small lounge area in the other corner with two long couches, a square table in between and a TV off to the side. She sat down on a leather couch, placing her bag beside her with a tired sigh.

It's been a long day already and it felt like it was going to continue to be one with Eunbi not around.

A glass of tea was set down in front of her, the girl from before took a seat on the second couch in front of her. “I'm sorry this is all we have. Those two only drink cola or sprite, I swear…” The slight huff made Nako crack a smile and her shoulders drop. The girl made it easy to relax.

“I'm sorry I didn't catch your name earlier. I'm Honda Hitomi.”

Nako shook her head quickly as Hitomi bowed respectively. She mirrored the same pose, “It's my fault for not introducing myself. Yabuki Nako.”

“Yabuki Nako…”

She heard Hitomi repeat her name with curiosity, and it honestly made her flinch. Of course if she was Japanese, there was a possibility she heard her name…

“Yabuki-san then.” The statement felt finite and there was a small, reassuring nod from Hitomi. “Did you come here looking for an exorcism? Eunbi-unnie is one of the best.”

_… What?_

Nako blinked, now it was her turn to be confused. “Exorcism?” Nako repeated, checking with Hitomi to make sure they were understanding the same thing. Hitomi raised a brow, “That's our speciality at the Kwon-Kim office. We deal with the supernatural, ghosts, spirits…” She nodded, as if the words coming out of her mouth were completely normal.

Well, maybe to her they were, but to Nako it was bizarre… and almost a pure coincidence that she found herself here.

“I… I'm friends with Eunbi-unnie.”

“Oh.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Hitomi, she didn't give off any questioning glances or side eyes which made Nako relax again. She reached forward, taking a sip of the tea. When the bitter but refreshing taste touched her tongue, she realized it tasted almost like home.

“Is this from Japan?”

Hitomi laughed again, “Yes it is, my parents often send me things to remind me of home.  It's also a gift for Eunbi-unnie and Chaewon-unnie for always taking care of me.”

Nako nodded, taking another careful sip. She took note of the second name, she remembered seeing it at the front door.

“Are you just visiting Eunbi-unnie, Yabuki-san?” The other Japanese girl asked, genuinely curious. It was probably because Eunbi never had visitors outside of Korea, much less they would come visit during work hours.

“Something like that, I'm actually…”

As she's about to explain her current situation, the door hastily opened with a bang. This made the two of them jump a little and look over quickly.  A well-dressed man hunched over the wooden door frame, breaths short and labored. When their eyes met his, a chill ran down Nako's spine. His face was stark white, as if he saw--

“You!” He pointed at Hitomi, who tilted her head. “You can see _ghosts_ right?! Tell it to go away!”

A _ghost_.

Hitomi seemed rather unphased at his statement, eyes narrowed. “Sungmin-ssi, please listen, Eunbi-ssi won't be able to come to your building until tomorrow…”

“I need it gone now! I can't stand it! I'll pay extra! I'll pay whatever cost!”

His eyes were wild, desperate for help. Nako swallowed the lump that built unknowingly in her throat, the way he looked scared her. She glanced at Hitomi in front of her, who looked calm compared to the frazzled man in front of them.

Hitomi bit her lip, it was clear she was unsure about the situation.  Despite only knowing her shortly, Nako wanted to help.

“Please wait outside Sungmin-ssi. I'll prepare my things and meet you there.”

“Thank you… thank you so much…”

The desperation in his voice was apparent, he even bowed lowly to Hitomi before leaving the office.  Nako stood up from her seat, “Honda-san--”

“I'm sorry Yabuki-san, it's a bit of an emergency.” Hitomi didn't spare her a glance, she just passed her to get to her desk and rummage for a few things in the drawers. “There's a few nice cafés nearby, I'll let Eunbi-unnie know you're here…”

“Let me go with you.”

The irrational and curious part of her brain spoke before she could even say anything else. Hitomi's movements paused, and their eyes met. Pure confusion dwelled in her eyes. “Yabuki-san, this is confidential matters… I can't let a civilian come…”

“I can help. I… I can see them.”

There was a sudden slam of a drawer, Hitomi's hand slipped and pushed the drawer back inside. The sound made Nako jump a little but she shook her head, determined to stay resolute.

“Ghosts, spirits, whatever you call it. I can see them too.”

She’s more forceful with her statement, ignoring the nervous spike that hit her body.  It was the first time that she’s openly admitted that she can see ghosts to someone outside her family and Miku and muchless a stranger she literally met today.  You never wanted to be different, you always wanted to fit in with the crowd, be _normal_ , so this was hard to say.  In the heat of the moment though, Nako just _had_ to say _something_.

She watched Hitomi bite her lip again, it was something she noticed when the other Japanese girl got nervous or debated between something.  She wanted to force herself some more, but decided to let her fate be taken in Hitomi’s hands instead.

Hitomi grabbed a bag and her jacket.  She looked over at Nako, her eyes narrowed and full of seriousness.

“Okay.  Okay, just… just be careful.  It’s extremely dangerous. And…” She walked by Nako, looking at her with almost begging eyes.  “Don’t tell Eunbi-unnie, she’ll definitely _kill_ me for this.”

Nako grabbed her jacket and rushed after Hitomi.

Her new life truly was taking flight, in one of the most surprising and unsuspecting ways.

 

* * *

 

From the way the man, or Park Sungmin, as Nako found out later on, was distressed and out of breath, she thought he worked at an office nearby, but after being lead into a new-looking black car and taken to the heart of Seoul, that was definitely not the case. She observed everything with a keen eye, the way Hitomi asked certain questions to Sungmin, the way he answered them, to their gestures and small movements…

She blinked when Sungmin called out to her as they entered the elevator.

“Hitomi-ssi, Nako-ssi, my apologies if my boss snaps. It's… A rather pressing time in the office right now.”

Nako shook her head, behaving herself as Hitomi asked (she wasn't officially suppose to be here anyway but Sungmin didn't know).  She made note not to make a scene. The elevator ride was silent otherwise, and when the door opened and her and Hitomi got out, followed by Sungmin, there was a shrill voice.

“ _Park Sungmin-ssi_ , how _dare_ you leave the office in the middle of such an important time!”

Nako flinched slightly at the scream, Sungmin did as well but Hitomi remained silent, her eyes drifting around the floor. Sungmin immediately moved forward and ran to the desk at the front, bowing deeply. He started into a flurry of Korean apologies and words that Nako could barely understand.

She felt a poke at her side, Hitomi's phone rubbed against her waist. She noticed there was a note program opened and something written on it.

_Look to the right in the back corner._

Discreetly, her eyes trailed upwards and then to the right as instructed.

Nako nearly screamed, having to quickly cuff her mouth with her hand and act like she coughed. She looked away quickly to pretend to be dealing with her coughing fit. She thought she heard something slide by but her mind was shocked by the image from before.

A woman with cold eyes glared at her and Hitomi which sent sharp shivers down her spine. Dealing with scornful woman was one thing, but one that had a look that could kill was another.

Sungmin came back, head down and ushered the two of them in a meeting room away from the eyes of his coworkers and his glaring boss.

The tension immediately eased as they were sat down.

“My boss… doesn't believe in the supernatural but will allow you two to stay as long as you don't interfere with our work. That… means you're stuck in here.”

His voice trembled and he kept his head bowed. Hitomi reached forward, gently clasped his hand and squeezed it. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. “I understand. Not everyone will believe in it. But we should be able to solve your case from here. We will need to leave the room eventually to excise the ghost.” She let go of his hand, moving backwards in her seat.

Sungmin just nodded, “Okay. You might have to wait until night, after the boss goes home…”

“That's fine. Also, about the files I asked for…”

Sungmin stood up, bowing lowly once again. “I'll have my assistant give them to you after she collects them.  My apologies once again, Hitomi-ssi.”

“Thank you, Sungmin-ssi.”

He left without another word and all the tension left Nako's body. She sighed, rubbing her head. “I… don't envy you at all.”

Hitomi stifled a laugh, “Honestly, I wouldn't either.” She looked around the barren meeting room, before directing her attention to Nako.

“What do you think of Sungmin-ssi?”

Nako tilted her head at the question. It was such an open ended question, but the way Hitomi looked at her, she wanted an impression.

“He's a particularly clean and proper man.” Nako started, recalling everything she noticed about Park Sungmin. “His suit was definitely tailored, his car was new and well-kept, and he wore a rather expensive looking watch.”

Each observation she stated was met with a small nod and eventually Hitomi grinned, impressed. “Are you sure Eunbi-unnie didn't ask for you to join our office as a hunter?”

“Definitely. _Ghost hunting_ was the last thing on my mind when I came to Korea.” She sighed dramatically, “I thought I was just going to be a simple _desk worker_.”

They shared a grin, it was easy to talk and share notes in an obvious tense situation if they could joke a little like this.  There was a knock at their door, and a young woman entered, setting a stack of files down on the table.

“Excuse my intrusion. I am Park Sungmin-ssi's assistant, Lee Seoyun.  He asked me to give these files to you, Honda Hitomi-ssi.”

“Ah yes, thank you Lee Seoyun-ssi.” Hitomi stood up to take the files, “If you don't mind, Seoyun-ssi, could I ask you a couple of questions? They’re related to our investigation.”

“Ah… as long as they're not personal.”

Seoyun glanced wearily at the door, shifting back and forth to make sure her big boss wasn't going to murder her for being away too long. Hitomi noticed, waving her hand. “I'll be quick. Do you know about the watch that Sungmin-ssi was wearing?”

“Oh that? It's a gift from his fiancée. They just picked it out last week.” She added on quickly, “I'm close friends with the fiancée so she told me the details.”

“I see, thank you. And I happen to notice a kitchen on the other side of the hall. Would I be able to use it to get some water later?”

Nako raised a brow, eyes shifting between the both of them but lingered longer on the Japanese girl, Hitomi had a water bottle on her already…

“Of course. Our Boss is rather distracted right now so as long as you're quiet you'll be fine.”

Hitomi nodded, “And one last thing… the building doesn't have any… pest issues, does it?”

“Pest? As in mice or rats?” Seoyun's nose wrinkled in disgust at the mere suggestion. “The office building is maintained to the utmost cleanest. There has been no pest problems in my years of working here.”

“I see, thank you so much.” Hitomi bowed and Seoyun excused herself from the room.  As soon as Seoyun was gone, Hitomi opened the file folder, sifting through the pages quickly.

Nako couldn't help but grin, “Looks like Sungmin-ssi is taken, _Hitomi-ssi_.”

Her face was met with a thick file folder and she scrambled to catch all the papers before they fell with a laugh. Hitomi rolled her eyes, “get to work, _desk worker_.”

 

* * *

 

The records Hitomi asked for were of the employees of the company, both past and present, from the past year. She explained that the ghost they were looking for would have some recent connection to the company if it started happening recently. The other part to note, since this ghost specifically went after Sungmin, there had to be a connection to him as well.

This lead to getting an impossible result, the conditions didn't match at all.

Nako leafed through her papers again, squinting at the multitudes of Korean profiles. “Is it possible that this specific person's record doesn't exist in these papers?”

“I had the same thought.” Nako glanced up from her pile as Hitomi sighed, rubbing her forehead as she leaned against her palm. “We have to approach this differently.”

Hitomi continued to comb through her pile of papers, not leaving any page unturned. Just as Nako was about to grab another pile, she felt something odd at the end of her pile. She pulled a little on the sheet, revealing an old newspaper article.

She raised a brow, “Honda-san, this might be relevant.” She couldn't read it very well, so she handed the paper to the other Japanese. Hitomi was silent as she looked through the article with a careful eye.

“It's an article about a suicide…” Hitomi's brow furrowed in concentration, “The victim was Hoon Eunchae. She was a worker at this company.”

_Hoon Eunchae? Why does it seem familiar?_

Nako glanced at her stacks of profiles, flipping through a couple of the sheets. She doesn't recall the name from everything she looked at. It wasn't the name that felt the same, but perhaps the situation…

“They say overworked and stress was the main cause.”

Nako remembered a story from a while ago and she folded her arms. “Have you heard of the Dentsu story, Honda-san? It was popular in Japan for a while.”

“Dentsu? The big marketing firm?” Hitomi placed the article down, shaking her head.

“A young female who worked for that company committed suicide because of the same cause but when they dug further into the complicated story, it turned out to be even more.”

Her voice dipped low and serious, the air around them tensing. “There was a lot of power harassment involved and perhaps an affair. But no one came forward and admitted anything. It was soon swept away.”

Hitomi leaned against her palm again, her eyes lingered on Nako as Nako finished the story. She seemed to be in deep thought, trying to piece a tough puzzle together. “Honestly, putting together a story just by using situations we heard from before can cause a huge mess.” She tapped her chin in thought. “But this particular story, if we relate it to our current situation, is logical given the hints we have.”

Nako was unsure of what hints Hitomi referred to, but she had a feeling the hunter had a clearer picture than her. Hitomi suddenly stood up, stretching her slim body.

“I'm going to step out to observe a few things outside. I also need to check the kitchen. If you can find Hoon Eunchae's profile, it would make our lives easier.”

Nako nodded, pulling another pile to herself as Hitomi left. She leafed through her new stack of papers as her mind thought about the entire situation again and what they talked about.

_The possibility of Hoon Eunchae's record may not exist._

Nako sighed heavily, the other question, even if they didn't have her record, was how would they relate it to Park Sungmin? Everything that they knew was he was prim, proper, held a high position in the company, and recently engaged…

_There was a lot of power harassment involved and perhaps an affair._

There was no clear answer right now, but there was one person who had all the answers to their questions.

Park Sungmin.

Even though she was told to behave, Nako thought she was close to the answer.  Just as she reached for the door knob, there was frantic screams and crashes that came outside her door. The lights flickered wildly after as well.

Her hand froze, her eyes wide as plates.

_Violent crashes, lights flickering, screams echoing…_

Nako shook her head, she had to act quickly or else something else could happen. She slammed the door open to the disaster that was happening in the office.

_How dare you!!! How dare you HAVE HER!_

To the normal human eye, papers were just being flung off the desks, various of sheets hitting the fallen Sungmin who was cowering on the floor.  The lights flickered violently for no reason, but there was a strong wind that weaved in and out, carrying the anger of a spirit that only some could see, hear, or feel.

And that happened to be one, Yabuki Nako, who stared in shock at the rage of the spirit that towered over Sungmin.  It was the same person from earlier, who glared daggers at her and Hitomi when they came in with Sungmin earlier.

The pieces and hints were starting to come together now, unfortunately Nako was a fraction too slow to figure it out.

“Hey!” Nako screamed over the billows of the angry spirit, “ _Hoon Eunchae!_ ”

The name echoed throughout the office and the spirit that towered over Sungmin looked over slowly in Nako’s direction, eyes narrowed in sharp daggers.  In one instant, she was standing over Sungmin, in the next she was reaching out for Nako’s throat. Nako quickly grasped onto the thin wrist, struggling to keep the wisps away from her neck.  Her eyes studied the angry spirit in front of her, who did everything to try and grasp her.

_Don’t you dare say my name like that!_

That confirmed one of the questions they had.

“E-Eunchae…?”

Sungmin staggered up to his feet, staring directly at Nako (and the spirit).  His eyes widened in horror. “Hoon...Eunchae…?” He repeated her name again.

Nako was whipped easily to the side as the spirit tossed her to face Sungmin.  She approached him with fury, her breath huffing as if it was fire. Nako touched her cheek with tenderness, wincing at the pain.  She felt the bruise incoming (even though it was just a spirit that touched her?!).

_Sungmin, you waited for me to take my own life… you waited for me to leave to be with some other woman, didn’t you…?_

Each step that Eunchae took felt like an oncoming death, and Nako panicked.  Sungmin obviously couldn’t hear or see the spirit, but he could see her surroundings, of how desks were being pushed off to the side, papers, books, and files being thrown haphazardly.  The other employees who were left in the office were scrambling to make a mad dash out, away from the crazy, supernatural phenomena that was happening.

“Sungmin-ssi, you need to _run!_ ” Nako cried out as she leapt to her feet.

Sungmin just stared at the oncoming spirit, biting his lip.  “Eunchae-ya… Wait please, let me apologize…” He managed to stammer out, his entire body quivered with fear.

Nako grabbed a book that flew by her foot and threw it at the spirit with a shout. The book was slapped uselessly to the side and the spirit slowly turned around to face her again. She grit her teeth, trying to stand her ground but her legs shook. Any longer and she thought she would collapse.

_I've had enough of your apologies._

Eunchae's palms slapped a nearby desk and slowly raised it. Nako screamed in horror and Sungmin cried out to her again.

_It's TOO LATE FOR THAT._

The desk raised high and Nako shut her eyes in fear, this was it, her new life already ended on the first day she landed in Korea.

_APOLOGIZE TO YOUR FIANCÉE WHEN YOU'RE DEAD._

Something slammed against the ground and the angered spirit let out a shrill. The desk dropped in an instant, making both Nako and Sungmin scramble backwards and cough at the dust that shot out.

Eunchae was no longer there.

“I think this would be a good time to apologize to her, Sungmin-ssi.”

Hitomi pulled the kitchen knife she stabbed into the ground, a stark white, struggling snake quivered and whipped around the blade until it collapsed and faded away. Nako just stared at Hitomi like her cheeks deflated.

Sungmin, regaining himself, slowly got to his feet and hung his head in shame for the nth time that night. “I'll… explain everything.”

 

* * *

 

At a particular desk on the right side in the back corner of the floor, a tattered and worn picture of Hoon Eunchae, the kitchen knife just before it, and a single, blue candle that burned brightly was all placed.  Sungmin stood before the desk, his head tilted downward to the picture of Eunchae, but his eyes shut tightly as he held an incense perfectly still in his hands.

“I knew about the harassment and everything that happened to you… But I was too much of a coward to say anything to my Sunbaenim…”

He shook silently as the truth slowly slipped through his tight lips.

“I was in shock when you took your own life… your death changed me… And I vowed to climb the hierarchy to change the system for you…”

Nako and Hitomi stood silently behind Sungmin as he continued to speak to the photo on the desk.  

“A-And I did… I made it up here for you… Eunchae-ya…”

His voice trembled again but his entire body stood perfectly still.

“I… I met a wonderful woman along the way… A-And she wanted to help me… support me like how you did…”

A hiccup escaped Sungmin's lips and he started to waver even more. “I… I should have given you a proper farewell first and told you about her…”

Tears started to slowly slide down his cheeks, the incense in his hands started to shake.

“I'm sorry… I’m so sorry…”

A soft whisper wrapped around Sungmin.  A hand touched the cheek of Sungmin and a spirit leaned in close.

_Thank you for everything, Sungmin-ah._

The candle went out and the incense fell to the ground with a soft thud. Sungmin fell shortly after, completely lost himself in tears and emotion.

Hitomi, even though she knew he couldn't hear her over his grief, had to mention softly, “the exorcism is now complete. The spirit has been satisfied and moved onto the afterlife.”

 

* * *

 

Nako never imagined her first day of being in Korea would turn out like this.

She winced as Hitomi carefully applied the ointment on her cheek, shrinking back a little. “Do ghosts actually hurt this much?”

“It's the fury of a jealous woman, alive or not, anger still fuels them.” Hitomi's tone was light and playful, as she finished applying the ointment on and brought up a large square bandage.  She pressed and sealed it on the blue-purple spot that was forming on Nako's cheek.

Nako groaned, shuddering at the night breeze that passed by.  They were on their way back to the office when Hitomi decided to stop at the closest drugstore to the office. She claimed she couldn't stand all the odd stares her and Nako were getting but she was also concerned for Nako's swollen cheek.

“Do all hunters come out with gang-like injuries?” She asked as Hitomi finished checking her cheek and pulled away from her. She gently poked her bandage, pouting.

“Nope. Honestly, your bruise was the first one I've seen since I started.” She explained with a laugh at the surprised look Nako gave her. “You mean Eunbi-unnie and the other hunter….”

“That's right. If a spirit goes awry and they have to fight it, they usually come out unscathed.” Her eyes were bright and the smile was playful. “They're actually really cool when they fight.”

Nako covered her face in shame.  Hitomi continued to giggle as she nudged her to continue their short walk to the office. “It's okay, Yabuki-san, you're just a desk worker.”

_Some desk work she had to do today._

They turned a corner and continued up the road.  With the exception of the lamp posts that illuminated the road, their office was pitch black, indicating no one was in the office. They did see someone waiting outside.

Even though it's been _forever_ since she saw her last, the straight black hair and the short stature (even though Nako was just a few centimeters shorter) was so recognizable.  Hitomi called out first.

“Eunbi-unnie!”

The figure turned at Hitomi's voice, a sigh of relief came from her lips as she briskly made her way to meet them halfway. “Hii-chan, thank God you're okay.” She immediately reached for Hitomi's shoulders, checking her closely, a hand brushing and lightly flying across her face, hair, really anything.

“You didn't get hurt? I'm sorry I couldn't help you.”

“No, no. I'm fine, Unnie.”

A small smile cracked on Nako's face, it was nice to see Eunbi never changed since they first met. She always was like the caring older sister, even though they barely knew each other, she always cared for her.

At the same time she still felt a bit embarrassed with the giant square patch on her cheek.

Hitomi pulled away from Eunbi’s caring self, stepping a bit to the side so she could see the small Japanese girl behind her. “Someone is here to see you today.”

Nako slowly raised a hand, shyly smiling. “Hi, Eunbi-unnie.”

“Nako?! Oh my God, it’s been so long!”

It was Nako's turn to laugh as she was enveloped in the same warmth as Hitomi, Eunbi pulling her into a tight hug and being overly touchy to check on her. “An emergency came up with a client this morning and I forgot to tell Hitomi you were coming this afternoon.”

She hastily explained and Nako had to push her gently away with a smile and a laugh. “It's okay, I understand.” She exchanged a small look with Hitomi, both of them grinning. “We worked well together.”

“I'm glad you two are able to get along!”

Eunbi smiled, but her eyes slowly fell onto the patch on her cheek. “What's this?”

Nako and Hitomi's eyes widen as they looked at each other in alarm. Right, Eunbi wasn't suppose to know that Nako was with Hitomi the entire time.

“I-I-I umm… F-fell?” She squeaked, trying to shy away from Eunbi's arms but she kept a tight latch on Nako's shoulders.

“Just like that?”  

Eunbi's eyes slowly moved away from Nako, facing Hitomi who was trying to avoid Eunbi's gaze.  Nako quickly came up with an excuse to advert Eunbi's attention away from Hitomi.

“Yup! Y-you know… It's been a long day and all.  Just getting used to Seoul…”

Eunbi's eyes snapped back to Nako, as she frowned but nodded in agreement. “It has been a long day for you. Let's get you back to the apartment and we can relax and talk over dinner.”

She dug for the keys in her pocket and started up the stairs to the office so they could get Nako's things.  Nako and Hitomi sighed in relief and exchanged careful but thankful smiles.

“Hitomi, I expect a report of _everything_ that happened tonight on my desk by the end of this week.”

Hitomi winced at the word _everything_ . She was a horrible liar and had a hunch that Eunbi might have already figured out _everything_.  Nako clapped her hands together and gave her an apologetic smile.

“I'll try to talk to Eunbi-unnie about it, it's not your fault.”

“No, no, I'll… explain everything.”

They kept apologizing to each other in Japanese until they heard a shout from up the stairs.  Realizing they were being even more suspicious, they concluded to just drop it for tonight and finally wrap up their eventful evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ welcome to my new work that surprisingly is a chapter story. normally i do not write these stories because i have a hard time dedicating myself to them but i really wanted to write a ghost hunter au and somehow after one night of research and ghost stories, a plot formed. nako just happened to fit the role of what i needed from the main character and hitomi worked well as the support, so after that everything fell into place. eunbi and chaewon both play an important role throughout the story but our main story follows nako and hitomi. 
> 
> this is going to be a long author's note to please bear with me! 
> 
> typically my opening note will be a summary of the chapter and any warnings or pairings. i didn't want to include any of the pairings that was planned in the description because people might end up opening it and question where it is when it hasn't been written yet. i will add them in once the chapter is uploaded! however everything is ambiguous and soft hints (if you've read my previous works, i always write like that), but there's one pair that is implied they're in a relationship. you guys can guess but :^) 
> 
> the ending note will be my thoughts on the chapter and anything else i will ramble about. it can get long, so you can really skip it! 
> 
> thank you for taking interest, the ending note will conclude with my personal thoughts on the first chapter!
> 
> \-----
> 
> i'm so happy to finally post this, i've been working on it for a while and asked a couple of people for thoughts and opinions. 
> 
> nako isn't quite how i pictured her to be in terms of character (tsundere/mischievous) but she turned out to be a lot more "free". i'm not sure if this will be a bad thing or a good thing in the future, but hopefully i can show you more of those sides of her. hitomi worked out a lot better than i anticipated, i thought she would be too laid back and reserved, but as the scenes between her and nako were written out, they got a few jabs at each other which made me really happy.
> 
> i've also found out through this chapter, i'm horrible at Korean honorifics. if you notice any mistake, please let me know and i'm happy to correct them. 
> 
> the pacing will be a bit slow at first as we establish both the world and nako and hitomi's role, but once a certain chapter hits, the pacing will go extremely fast. so if you think it's a bit slow at the beginning, i'm sorry, it'll pick up.
> 
> anyway, i'm happy to hear your comments and thoughts!
> 
> thank you for the kudos and the comments on my previous works as well, i'm very appreciative to them!
> 
> see you next chapter!


	2. Ghost Story 02: Just One Home Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nako officially started working at "Kwon-Kim Celeb Office". However, due to the situation she included herself in on her first day, she is put on desk duty (even though that is her original position). Hitomi takes up a particular case that she seems enthusiastic about, and Nako learns of the dangers of being a hunter, both physically and emotionally. 
> 
> Warning: there's no explicit details, but there is mention of death (suicide) and assault  
> Pairs: light Chaeyeon/Sakura, Chaewon/Hitomi, Eunbi/Hitomi and possibly more :^)

Nako stared at herself in the mirror, closely inspecting the bruise that was on her cheek. It was healing quickly but it still was discolored.  At least now she could cover it with makeup and leave the apartment without wearing a giant mask. A couple more days and it should be healed.

“Nako, breakfast is ready!”

She washed her hands and put face lotion and moisturizer on the rest of her skin before stepping out of the bathroom and heading into the kitchen. She peered at the table, plates and utensils already set out with a few rolls of kimbap. She grabbed her mug from the shelf and went to the fridge to pour herself a glass of milk.

“Unnie, do you want some?”

“No, I'm fine, I still have my cider from this morning.”

Nako brought her glass of milk over and raised a brow at the can of cider sitting near Eunbi's seat. Of course, she would drink soda in the morning before work…

She sat down as Eunbi came over, setting down a plate full of dinosaur nuggets. As childish as they looked, they smelled delicious. She couldn't help but snicker the more she stared at them.

“Yabuki Nako, stop laughing at your breakfast.”

The chair across slid back and Eunbi sat down, her narrowed eyes trained on the laughing Japanese girl. Nako quickly waved her hand away as they started on their breakfast.

It's been over a week since Nako arrived in Korea.  Eunbi profusely apologized on the first night she came to her new home, after managing to get an answer about Nako's whereabouts that day with Hitomi. Nako did her best to convince her that no one was at fault but her own, since she willingly went with Hitomi, knowing full well the danger she could have been in.

The guilt was still there, but over a nice dinner and a chat, whatever ill feelings about the situation dropped.  Eunbi explained the work they did at the “Kwon-Kim Celeb Office” in more detail, which she probably should have disclosed much earlier before Nako came to Korea.  Nako didn't seem to mind, she just thought it was a coincidence that it was specifically _her._

As Hitomi mentioned in their first meeting, they were an office that specialized in dealing with the supernatural, or specifically ghosts and spirits. Eunbi and the other hunter, Kim Chaewon (whom Nako still hasn't met yet) came from a specialized academy, simply called “Woolim” and started their own office after they finished. They use the name “Woolim” attached to their office for recognition and occasionally the academy will send clients to them.

Nako also learned a bit about Hitomi.  Hitomi joined the office much later, through recommendation from a close friend of Eunbi's, Lee Chaeyeon. She was a part of Chaeyeon's dance studio and when she decided to stay in Korea instead of moving back home to Japan, Chaeyeon pointed her in Eunbi's direction, knowing that Eunbi needed more help in the office.

_Speaking of Lee Chaeyeon…_

“Are you going to see Chaeyeon today?”

Nako checked the calendar on her phone as she ate a T-Rex shaped nugget. “Yes, she said she finished her choreography work and could meet today.” She double checked her messages with the said person.

Eunbi took a sip of her cider, “Can you ask her about her _gift_ of sending me Japanese girls who can see spirits?”

Nako laughed at that, it seemed almost too coincidental that both her and Hitomi were both recommended to Eunbi by the same person, happened to be Japanese and happened to be able to see spirits. “I'm sure Chaeyeon-unnie will just call you crazy and think you're over thinking everything.”

Eunbi grumbled about how Chaeyeon was the overthinker and inhaled a piece of kimbap. “By the way, I've finished reading Hitomi's report.”

The Japanese girl choked on her milk; her eyes flickered up to Eunbi. She raised a brow at Nako's reaction but kept a straight face.

“She was extremely impressed with how you handled the situation, even if you…” Her eyes moved to the spot on her cheek with a grin and Nako whined, hiding that particular spot with her hand.

“Don't tease me, Unnie!  I just did what I thought was right.”

Eunbi giggled, “You’re so cute, Nako.” She teased before continuing on, “It wasn’t your ability she was impressed with, but your observation skills and the way you thought about the situation.  It’s not very easy to do what you did.” She explained, grabbing a triceratops shaped nugget and indulged in it.

Nako flushed, squirming in her seat at the compliments.  “Thank you.” She mumbled quietly, bowing her head a little.  “I’m...used to watching and listening very carefully.” Her eyes darted away, reminded of the past. She took a piece of kimbap, swallowing it whole to concentrate on something else.

“That’s why you’re restricted to office duties for the next week while I figure out what to do with you.”

She choked on that piece of kimbap, staring incredulously at the woman in front of her.  Was this some sort of penalty for going out when she wasn’t supposed to? 

Eunbi just stared at her with a raised brow again, “Nako?”  
  
“I-I see.” She muttered quietly after clearing her throat, it was better she didn’t get excited.  “I-I mean, I am an office worker after all, why would I leave the office, right?” The words tumbled out of her mouth rather quickly that she swore she probably mixed in Japanese with her Korean words.  There was a short laugh and Eunbi stood up, ruffling her hair playfully.

“This is punishment for forcing one of my hunters to take you along when you very well know it wasn’t your business.”

Eunbi cleaned up her dishes, placing them into the sink and washed her hands.  “Anyway, tell Chaeyeon I said _hi_.  And don’t forget I need you in the office this afternoon.”  She left to prepare for work.  Nako waved dejectedly and stared at the leftover dinosaur nuggets, they reminded her of her “punishment”.

_I don’t think I’ve ever been scolded like that before, even by Sasshi…_

 

* * *

 

Cafés in Seoul were very much like the cafés back at home in Japan. The modern ones at least, decorated in matching colours that seemed to come straight from home decor magazines.  They were comforting for Nako, it was like she never left home.

“So, you got beat up by a ghost?”

A laugh rang out in the half-empty shop. Nako flushed, “Chaeyeon-unnie!” She hushed, her eyes flying around to see if anyone else noticed, but the other patrons were too engrossed in their own activities to even bother.

Across from her was the joyful brunette, Lee Chaeyeon. Chaeyeon was a professional dance instructor, one of the youngest in the industry. She owned a studio that she started fresh out of school. Due to the uprising in Japanese girls wanting to debut in Korea, Chaeyeon's studio became popular among them because Chaeyeon was bilingual and had a reputation of being a kind-hearted soul.

Nako and Chaeyeon met when Nako first came to Korea on an exchange. Chaeyeon was hired to help her and everyone that she came with to Korea in dancing. Chaeyeon was extremely kind to Nako and her group, going beyond just the studio to show them around Seoul and helping Nako specifically with Korean. Chaeyeon also became close with a senior in her group, Miyawaki Sakura.

“You didn't tell me the office was for paranormal activity!”

“I kind of forgot.” Chaeyeon rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, “I just figured Eunbi-unnie wanted more help. Hii-chan complained at practice that they were always swamped with work and Eunbi-unnie and Chaewon-ah were always away.”

“Paranormal activities, Unnie!”

Chaeyeon leaned in close, “Besides, you never told me you could see ghosts.”

Nako's eyes widened, she knew she was caught there. Her eyes fell to her milk tea. “Not a lot of people know.”

“Not even Saku-chan?”

Nako shook her head. Not even her senior. She watched Chaeyeon nod in understanding, waving her hand to dismiss the topic. “It's okay, it's okay~ We don't need to talk about it.”

Chaeyeon took a sip of her coffee, “How is everyone doing at the office? I've barely talk to them lately. Even Hii-chan! She's been missing practice.”

“Busy. Eunbi-unnie always seems to be dealing with client meetings outside of the office and Honda-san will deal with consultations.” She paused, remembering Chaeyeon mentioned another person, “And Kim Chaewon, right? I still haven't met her…”

“Ah, Chaewon-ah is a good kid. She tries to be really cool but she's a big softie in the inside. A tsundere, just like you!”

Chaeyeon's tone was playful and her eyes full of mirth as Nako choked on her drink. She swore that Koreans were going to be the end of her.

“Who said I was a tsundere?!”

“Saku-chan.” 

_Of course it would be Saku-chan._

“Well, Saku-chan lately has been complaining that you are being a tsundere.”

Chaeyeon tilted her head in confusion, even pointing to herself. “Me?! She's been calling me a bear lately though!”

“Bears can be tsundere too.”

There was a pout and the two started to laugh.  

Chaeyeon eventually went back to the previous topic. “If we’re talking about the office.” The brunette grinned, she leaned in close again, as if they were exchanging secrets.  “Did you know Hii-chan was actually a big scaredy-cat?”

Nako blinked and shook her head.  How could one be scared if you well, could see ghosts?

“Our studio had a performance at this high school, and everyone came to watch us. Later, a friend and I played a prank on her and messed with her in the auditorium, acting as if we were possessed and played the piano menacingly. I then chased her out of the room.”

Chaeyeon started clapping, laughing hysterically at the memory. “Chaewon looked like she was going to fight the world but luckily Eunbi-unnie was there to stop her from actually killing us.”

Nako raised a brow, the corner of her mouth twitching. Who knew that the kind-hearted bear was such a troublemaker? Chaeyeon stuck her tongue out playfully and finished her story.

“After that, Eunbi-unnie totally chewed Kwangbae and I out. Kwangbae had to take her out for barbeque the next night to calm her down. To this day, Kwangbae still demands that I pay for at least half of the dinner.”

Nako couldn’t help but giggle, as cruel as the prank sounded, it was so believable, right from what Chaeyeon did, to Eunbi scolding them. She noticed the unfamiliar name but figured it must've been another one of their friends.

As they continued to chat about old memories, Nako remembered something in her bag. She pulled out a small bag and handed it to Chaeyeon.

“Before I forget, this is a gift for you.”

“Awe, from you, Nako? I knew you were a softie too!”

Nako rolled her eyes, “It's not just me.”

As soon as Chaeyeon pulled out a pack of dried umeboshi, she gawked. She held it out to Nako. “Is this a joke?”

“That's from Saku-chan. It's her favourite.”

Chaeyeon placed the umeboshi down. “Saku-chan I knew you were a prankster, but this is too far!”

“Unnie, stop being dramatic, there's more in the bag.”

Chaeyeon continued to slowly pull things out of the bag, revealing her favourite Japanese snacks and other things you couldn't get in Korea. At the end, she pulled out a card.

“Saku-chan picked out most of the things. And…” Nako paused as Chaeyeon opened the card. She noticed how wide Chaeyeon's eyes opened as she read the card silently, her eyes glimmering as each second passed. “Wrote out the card. I'm sorry if the Korean is wrong, I had to help her with that.”

Chaeyeon shook her head, wiping the tears that welled up in the corner of her eyes. She placed the card gently down, “It's perfect… Thank you so much, Nako.” She grasped the Japanese hand, squeezing it tightly. “Next time Sakura comes to Korea; I'll treat the both of you. I'll even let Sakura stay at my house.”

Nako smiled, gently placing her other hand on top of Chaeyeon's. “Of course, Unnie. I look forward to it.  Thank you for always helping me.”

 

* * *

 

Nako checked the time on her phone, there was still at least a half an hour before she needed to be in the office for the afternoon.  There was a client meeting at 4 PM and Eunbi wanted her there in case Hitomi needed help or someone else came in during the consultation.  She tapped her chin as she made her way passed the familiar corner that lead to the office, maybe she should grab a quick snack, she never had the chance to have hotteok again since the last time she came to Korea… Maybe grab one for Hitomi too, she always had some bread in the morning so surely, she like hotteok too…

As she’s about to turn around, she spotted someone by the office again.  The same girl she ran into before, with the dark reddish hair and doe-like eyes.

“Um… excuse me, did you need a hand?”

Nako called out this time.  It wasn’t the first time she’s seen her since their first meeting.  The few times Nako came to the office after that, she was around.  Nako never had a chance to stop and talk to her.

She watched the girl jump a little in surprise and turned to face her.  Those doe-like eyes blinked in confusion before she relaxed.  “O-Oh, it’s just you.”

Nako’s eye twitched, what was _that_ supposed to _mean_?

The girl seemed to notice Nako’s small annoyance, and quickly bowed.  “I-I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean any harm to saying that.  I was just surprised.”

At the apology, Nako also panicked, and she bowed out of reflex as well.  “Y-You don’t need to apologize!  I-I didn’t mean anything either.” She waved her hands a little, “I just thought you might need some help since it’s not the first time I’ve seen you around here.”

She pointed at the office building, “I work there and well, we help people, so if you need some help…”

“You work there?” The other tilted her head in surprise.

“Ah… Yeah, I just started.”  Nako scratched her head, “It’s been a learning experience.”

There was a soft giggle, light and charming.

“It’s always been like that.  But you get used to it.”

The words slowly clicked into Nako, leaving her with more questions.

“If you need any advice, please ask.  But in return…” A finger touched Nako’s lips, closing her mouth from saying anything.  “You can’t mention me to anyone.”

Nako’s phone suddenly rang and she scrambled to turn off the alarm.  She noticed the time and had to abandon her hotteok plans.  The girl stepped back as well, “I’ll see you again?”

“O-Okay.” Nako hastily said, giving her an apologetic smile and excused herself.  She entered the building, climbing up the steps that were surrounded by the ancient wallpaper.  As she arrived on the last step and reached for the door knob, she paused, noticing something on the door for the first time.  She touched the ‘Kwon Eunbi’ and ‘Kim Chaewon’ names on the glass but paused at the space below ‘Kim Chaewon’.

_Isn’t there enough room for a third name to be here?_

 

* * *

 

The client that came in for a consultation was at the office exactly at 4 PM.  The man was sat down in the lounge area on one side of the couch while Hitomi and Nako sat across from him, papers and notebooks were set on their side of the table.  He introduced himself as Pak Jaehyun, an employee from the local Government, seeking aid from them for a local community.

“Since this occurrence keeps happening on a public property, this issue escalated to our department in the local Government.”

He placed a map of a park not far from their office.  It was maybe about a fifteen-minute walk.  He then took a marker and circled one area of the map.

“This is the place that it happened.  We’ve experienced it in no other places.”

Nako raised a brow as she took a closer look while Hitomi wrote down everything that Jaehyun has mentioned so far.  Her eyes narrowed; the area that was circled looks like a baseball diamond.

“And the sounds that is heard from this area ranges from something being swung, to something being hit, to weeping, correct?”

Hitomi asked carefully, reading out the notes she jotted down.  Jaehyun nodded, “My apologies, Hitomi-ssi, it’s not consistent for your type of work.” She shook her head in response, “Don’t apologize Jaehyun-ssi.  It gives us a better idea of what may be occurring here.”

She glanced at the map, “And the area it’s contained in is a baseball diamond?”

“Correct, it’s a popular park used by local high school teams for matches and practice.  However, late-night park goers have been hearing the sounds I have mentioned before, and we are concerned for the safety of the community.”

Nako scratched the bottom of her chin, unlike the case with Sungmin, this one lacked a lot of information.  While the information they were given was similar, Nako could derive information from Sungmin himself through his looks, situation, and characteristics, but this one, well, there was no person being haunted.  This must be many of their cases.

“Nako-ssi, could you give Jaehyun-ssi the papers of our terms and conditions and payment information?”

She was pulled out of her thoughts when her name was called.  She blinked, glancing at Hitomi.  It was the first time she referred to her as her first name… “Ah right, the papers.” Nako hastily took out the stack of papers and handed them to Jaehyun.

“These are the terms and conditions we’ve gone over before on the phone.  In addition, it would be useful if we could get any help from the community.”

“Of course, Hitomi-ssi.  I will let them know of your investigation and forward any information that we receive to you.”

They went over some last contractual agreements and lead Jaehyun out of the office after everything was agreed on.  As soon as he was gone, Hitomi poked Nako’s shoulder.

“Is there something wrong, Yabuki-san?  You seemed lost in thought.”

Nako sat back down in the lounge area, staring at all the information and papers laid out before her.  “I was just thinking about the entire case.” She paused, specifically going over the map of the park again.  “There’s not a lot of information to go off, at least compared to the first case…”

Hitomi laughed as she sat down on the couch across from Nako.  “It’s because we’re starting right at the beginning this time.” Her eyes roamed around the papers as well.

There’s a certain look to Hitomi’s expression that Nako was surprised to see when she looked at her.  She couldn’t help but ask, “Are you excited about this case?”

“A little!” Hitomi pointed at the baseball diamond, staring at the paper fondly.  “I love baseball, I used to watch it all the time at home.  And judging from what we have so far, our case might be related to it.”

Nako slowly nodded, it was a fair assumption to make, especially if the noises were only heard within the baseball diamond area.  “Then it’s safe to say that you will be personally handling this case.”

“Yes.  Chaewon-unnie is still out and Eunbi-unnie is finishing another case.”

Their eyes met, and Hitomi smiled.  “And you’re here to cover all the desk work.  So, I can focus on this case.”

At the mention of Nako’s role in the office, she couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of her lips.  Right, she was just the desk worker.

“Well, if you need any help, just ask me!”

She stood up, making her around the table and to a part of Hitomi’s desk with a pile of papers stacked on it, which ended up being her makeshift desk for the time being.  She sighed, why was she getting her hopes so high.  It’s not like she was hired to be a ghost hunter anyway.

“Yabuki-san.”

She glanced over at Hitomi; it was hard to hide the small pout on her face.  Hitomi giggled at that look.

“Are you available tonight?  There’s a nice park fifteen minutes from here by foot that I would love to check out.”

 

* * *

 

A chilling wind passed, making Nako clutch her jacket tightly.  It was colder in Korea compared to home. “Should've brought a warmer jacket…” She grumbled as her and Hitomi walked beside each other.

Hitomi giggled, “I said the exact same thing when I first came to Korea.” She handed Nako a hand warmer, who took it with a soft thanks. “There's a brand called Salewa, I recommend their jackets if you have the money. I had to save up for it but when I finally bought one, I never regretted it.”

Nako eyed the jacket that Hitomi was wearing. It didn't look very warm. Hitomi rolled her eyes, “It's not this one, Yabuki-san.”

“Oh.” Nako was slightly disappointed, she wanted to see how warm this jacket really was. She would have to make use of the hand warmers. She shook the hand warmers, clutching onto them tightly as they approached a fenced area.

There was a soft swishing sound coming from the home plate. As they came to a stop, in front of them was a girl at the home plate, dressed in a baseball uniform with a bat over her shoulder. She looked like she was concentrating on practicing her swing.

Nako glanced around, there was no one else but her. Should she be practicing this late? She also noticed that there was nothing around, usually if you were out for practice you would have a bag or something. This girl only had her bat.

Is it possible she was the one making the sound?  That was odd though, there were _more_ sounds observed before…

She felt a nudge at her side, Hitomi pointed at a bench on the edge of the diamond. “Let's give her about fifteen minutes to see if anything else happens.” She whispered, and suddenly wrapped her arm around Nako's.

“Nako~ let's go rest over there!”

Nako was surprised at Hitomi's sudden straightforwardness and her change into Korean. She caught her wink shortly after, and realized it was an act towards the girl practicing her batting.

She just grinned playfully back, “You're tired already, Hii-chan? We just got here….” She whined, making Hitomi blink but sigh, shaking her arm and dragging the shorter one along. “You always have too much energy…”

After going back and forth, they sat themselves on the bench, pretending to talk about whatever they could think of. Nako continued to observe the girl from the corner of her eyes, and she could tell Hitomi was as well.

The girl seemed too engrossed in her batting to even spare them a glance.

Fifteen minutes eventually pass, and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen. The girl, however, placed her baseball bat down, her shoulders tense as her eyes darted back and forth wildly. She looked like she was anticipating something…

Five minutes passed, and she sighed in relief.  She carried her bat with her over her shoulders and marched away, disappearing down the street.

“It looks like she's part of the reason for the strange sounds at night.” Nako eventually broke the silence as Hitomi wrote her notes down in her book.

The desk worker took a sneaky glance, noticing the very specific baseball notes that Hitomi wrote down. She had no idea what they meant...but it seemed to reflect on her form and posture.  She also wrote about the uniform.  Something about a custom uniform of the Doosan Bears with the number “21”...

Hitomi's love for baseball really was useful for this. She could make all these observations while Nako… knew very little. This was a moment where she was thankful for Hitomi being the lead in this case.

“Okay. Let's stop here. I don't think we'll get anything new if we stay.”

Hitomi shut her book and stood up. “I also want to make sure we get back before Eunbi-unnie does. I don't want her to think I took you somewhere dangerous.”

Nako laughed and agreed with Hitomi as she stood up as well. She also didn't want to be put under detention again, if she was chained to the office for a long time, she surely would go crazy with organizing and filing all their things.

 

* * *

 

Luckily for Nako, Eunbi did not find out she was out with Hitomi that night for investigation.

Unfortunately for Nako, because Hitomi was focused on the case, she was stuck at the office.  When there was consultations and information being passed on, Eunbi was there for the first couple of times, until she was satisfied that Nako could handle it her own.

After that, Nako for the rest of the week handled everything at the office on her own.

Surprisingly, there's a lot to this job. Sure, she complained about being stuck organizing papers and files all day, but that was only a fraction of her work. She dealt with a lot of interesting information, which she found out very quickly could be actual ghosts or just made-up stories to scare people away from certain areas.

“I heard from Eunbi-unnie that you're going to be doing some minor exorcisms.”

Nako looked up from the laptop she was typing and sorting information into their database. She rubbed her eyes a little, exhausted from the large workload. She didn't even notice Hitomi came back.

“Just some simple house ones. You know, the ones where the family just wants to pass on important items to the decease.”  

She leaned back in her seat as Hitomi sat down next to her, placing a folder down. Nako knew what that was.

“How's your case going? The baseball one.”

“Ah, it's a bit slow… Maybe I'm being too overzealous with it.” She scratched her cheek in embarrassment, but her face didn't show any signs of regret or frustration.

“I'm guessing you and the ghost have been chatting every night?”

The nights that Nako stayed at the office, whether it was to finish what she was doing or waiting for Eunbi, she noticed Hitomi always left at a certain time each night. At first, she didn't think anything of it, but after the second time, she noticed it was the same time they left for the baseball diamond on the first night.

A small smile tugged at Hitomi's lips as she flipped through her notes, “We have… we got along very well when she discovered I could actually see her.” She flipped to a page and showed her the detailed notes of each night.

Nako raised an eyebrow, the notes were all about baseball and any other minor stuff like favorite color, favorite food… “This sounds like a dating profile.”

“Yabuki-san!”

Hitomi slapped her shoulder, immediately retracting the notebook and hiding her reddening face with it. Nako rubbed her shoulder, “Sorry, sorry. Did you figure out a way for her to pass on?”

“That's… The difficult part.” The Japanese female rubbed her forehead, “She has a lot of things she wanted to do, so I can't exactly pinpoint the one that will let her pass on. And the other issue is the other sounds that was reported by the community. I never heard or saw anything strange, so it bothers me that there's more I'm not seeing.”

Nako slowly nodded, the inconsistent noise was something they observed since the very beginning. “And you're going again tonight?”

“Of course, it's my case after all.”

The small smile widened on Hitomi's face. Nako could easily tell she highly anticipated meeting with the ghost again.

 

* * *

 

 **Eunbi-unnie: I won't be back until later tonight. We can grab take-out from the chicken place on the way home.**  
**Eunbi-unnie: Chaewon should be back at the office tonight. You should introduce yourself to her and talk for a bit.  
** **Eunbi-unnie: She might complain though, I keep gushing about you in our messages** **❤️**

 

Nako giggled, Eunbi was way too kind to her. 

She placed her phone down and glanced at the time. Hitomi never came back today, so she must have finished the couple of short assignments in the afternoon and went straight to the baseball diamond after. She leaned back in her seat, wondering what to do. She finished her reports on her exorcisms, sorted out and updated their database on minor sightings…

Her eyes fell upon the TV in the lounge and she glanced around the empty office.

Well, since no one was around, maybe she could pass the time with some dramas…

She turned on the TV, greeted by some familiar faces on the popular variety show, Running Man.  Her eyes lit up in joy, “Oh, TWICE is on Running Man this week!”

Just her luck. She definitely could pass the time with her favorite group.

As she was about to get into the show, there was a sudden knock at the door and Nako cried out in surprised.  She scrambled for the remote on the table, turning the TV off quickly and dashed for the door.

That was strange, it was passed consultation hours.  If it was the illusive Kim Chaewon (that’s what Nako’s been calling her for the past two weeks), she should have her own key to the office…

She opened the door, greeted by an older woman.

“Ah, I’m sorry for coming so late… Is this the office doing the case that involves the baseball diamond?”

Nako slowly nodded, “We are, but it’s passed the hours we’re open…” She trailed lightly, gesturing to the sign that said their office hours.  The woman bowed, “I just wanted to pass some information about that baseball diamond… I’m afraid my daughter might be involved.”

She held up a small bag.  At the mention of daughter, Nako frowned.  There was only one girl that they saw around the baseball diamond... She checked the time quickly, and then opened the door wide.  “Please come in.  I can record your information down and pass it along.”

The woman thanked her and came into the office.  Nako sat her down in the lounge and grabbed her notebook and took a seat across from her.  “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you for taking the time…” The older woman paused, and Nako quickly filled in “Yabuki Nako.”

“Nako-ssi.  Your Korean is very natural.”

Nako scratched her cheek, “Thank you.  I’m still practicing.”

The older woman smiled, before she pulled out the object from the bag, it was a worn baseball glove and a ball.  “These belonged to my Daughter.  She was a part of the women's baseball team in our community.” She placed them on the table, allowing Nako to take the objects carefully.

Nako turned each of them in her hand, just by the feeling she could tell they were used often.  As much as they were used, they were also well kept.

“She loved baseball… She always practiced every night at the park by our house.  She had a good pitch, but her batting skills were not on par with the team.” She explained slowly; her lip trembled as she remembered her daughter. Nako waited patiently, jotting the notes down quietly.

“Even then… she still continued to practice her heart out.  She always kept an optimistic outlook, believing that you can do anything as long as you kept trying.”

A soft sob escaped her lips, and Nako grabbed a box of tissues nearby, placing them near the woman.  “She sounds like a wonderful person.”

“Thank you, Nako-ssi. She seemed to be about your age.” The woman took a tissue, wiping away the tears that didn’t fall quite yet.  “Her dream was to hit at least one home run.  So, she always practiced her batting.  But…”

The atmosphere around them went still.  Nako finally had the answer that they were looking for, but her grip on her pen tightened, as she anticipated the next few words.

“An… accident happened.  Or… do I even call it that…”

The woman’s expression immediately darkened.  Her eyes narrowed and her hands tightened into fists.

“She was approached by a group of boys who might have been watching her, waiting for her to be vulnerable… And tried to force her into something that I cannot name.”

Nako’s pen fell against her pad, the shock of hearing this story making her lose her grip temporarily.

“So, she defended herself with her bat and everything turned for the worst.  Those boys passed away, and while it was all in the name of self-defence, she couldn’t handle the pressure from everyone else, so she…”

She burst into tears, unable to keep herself composed now.  Nako placed her notepad and pen down and stood up from her seat to grab some water from the kitchen and bring it back to the woman.  She grabbed the box of tissues and held both the cup of water and the box to her.

The woman took it with a silent thanks.

Nako sat back down, taking in a deep breath.  She was extremely thankful to the woman who was brave enough to tell her everything.  It helped get a better look at the situation.  She waited until the woman’s cries went silent.

“Thank you for telling me everything.  You’re very brave and kind for doing so.  Your daughter would be proud.” Nako did her best to smile, trying to blink back her own tears.

“Nako-ssi… Thank you for listening.” She sniffed, wiping away fresh tears.

“I just have one question.”

The woman nodded, listening to Nako’s question intently.

“Did your daughter wear a custom Doosan Bears jersey with the number “21” on the back?”

 

* * *

 

After Nako walked the woman out of the office, she grabbed her phone and sat back down on one of the couches, glancing at the notes she took earlier.  There was crucial information that she managed to get that could lead to figuring out the end of Hitomi’s baseball case.  She dialed Hitomi’s number and waited patiently for her to pick up.

_Ring… Ring…_

She re-read her notes again, glancing at the baseball glove and ball sitting on the table.  If the way to let the spirit pass on was to pitch her a ball, then they could finish everything tonight… But there was one thing that bothered her.

_“And the other issue is the other sounds that was reported by the community. I never heard or saw anything strange, so it bothers me that there's more I'm not seeing.”_

The other sounds…

 _“And the sounds that is heard from this area ranges from something being swung, to something being hit, to weeping…_ ”

Her jaw dropped as her eyes stopped at the part of her notes where she wrote about the tragic incident.  If this was…

She pulled her phone away from her ear, getting a message that said something along the lines of _this person is unavailable...,_ she couldn’t comprehend the entire phrase because her heart started to race.  She pocketed her phone, grabbing the glove and ball and tossing it unceremoniously in her bag.  She frantically stood up and rushed to her desk, taking her jacket and the keys from there and ran to the door.

This could be an ugly situation.

She pulled the door open and cried out in surprise when she collided with a familiar redhead in a leather jacket.  She quickly shook her head to regain her bearings, staring up in surprise.  The person in front of her held up a key to the office, staring at her with an equally surprised look.  Nako quickly figured out who it was, but...

“Wait, aren’t you from the air--”

“I… sorry, I’ll introduce myself later, Kim Chaewon-ssi!”

Nako is about to bolt around Chaewon when she felt a hand grab the sleeve of her shirt.  She looked at Chaewon in surprise, who just stared at her.

  
“Where are you going so quickly?”

“Honda-san could be in trouble--”

Her words tumbled out in Japanese and the grip on her shirt loosened at the name _Honda-san,_ but she was tugged back again.  “Who?”

“ _Hii-chan!_ ”

Nako finally managed to squirm her way out of Chaewon’s grip, panting lightly.  Chaewon’s eyes widened, a soft “ _Hitomi…_ ” leaving her lips before she quickly shut and lock the door behind them.  The redhead didn’t say anything but the look in her eyes told Nako to _hurry up and go_.

Nako darted down the stairs and hurried towards the park near their office, Chaewon following closely behind.

 

* * *

 

Nako had a knack for always being a fraction late.  She really should change that luck some day.

As they arrived at the baseball diamond, she immediately knew something was off when she saw Hitomi and the spirit that she had been visiting pulled apart.  There were three men surrounding Hitomi, two of them holding her while a third stood in front and another two holding back the spirit.  She could make out both Hitomi and the spirit struggling and squirming in their holds.

“Honda-sa--”

Nako is about to cry out but it’s lost when she feels herself pushed off to the side.

Chaewon immediately rushed passed her, reaching where Hitomi was struggling in a fraction of a second.  The man towering over Hitomi was thrown off to the side and there was a surprise cry of “ _Chaewon-unnie!_ ” that came from the Japanese girl’s lips.

Nako’s attention adverted to the spirit who was locked in a tug of war struggle to pull her bat away from the other spirits.  She quickly dug into her bag, gripping the ball in her hand.  Nako was horrible at sports but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“Nayoung-ssi!”

She caught the spirit’s attention, as she looked over in Nako’s direction, surprised that her name was being called.  The spirits startled by the sudden appearance of someone new also looked in her direction.  Nako wound her arm back, praying to whatever God looking down on her to give her strength, and threw the baseball in the direction of the spirit.

Due to Nako’s lack of proper throwing posture and her strength, the ball gracefully flew in a high arch, bopping one of the spirits in the head. In the middle of all the confusion, Nayoung pulled the bat out of his hands and slammed the closest spirit to her. She turned to the other one who slowly backed away.

They were clearly out of their league if two of them could handle the five of them.  They ran off, down the street where it looked like they just _disappeared_.

Nako glanced over where Chaewon crouched down in front of Hitomi. It takes her a split second to realize that Hitomi had her arms clutched around Chaewon and head buried in her shoulder. Chaewon's arms wrapped protectively around Hitomi in return.

She knew Hitomi must need a moment and decided to check on the spirit instead.

Nayoung blinked when Nako approached her, “You can see me too?”

_Ah right, not everyone can see ghosts like she can._

“Yeah I can.” Nako scratched her cheek a little, picking up the ball she threw and held it out to Nayoung. “I also threw your old ball out of desperation. I hope I didn't damage it.”

The spirit shook her head, “Nah. It's a tough ball, it won't get wrecked that easily.” She smiled fondly at the ball, touching it rather gently. She looked at Nako, eyes full of curiosity. “I should ask how you know my name and where did you get this though…”

“Ah, I got it from your Mother. She… Told me everything.”

Nayoung flinched, her hand pulled back almost immediately. “Then you know, those guys…”

Nako's gaze fell downward. “It wasn't your fault. None of it was.”

A silent understanding settled between the two of them.

“Nayoung-chan!”

Hitomi's voice suddenly was heard, and she rushed in, grasping onto Nayoung. “Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, right?”

Nayoung quickly dropped her bat to return Hitomi's hug, “I'm fine! I should be asking the same to you!”

Nako stepped back a little as Hitomi and Nayoung started asking each other plenty of questions about the situation that just happened. Chaewon silently stood next to Nako, her eyes focused on Hitomi, but occasionally looked in Nayoung's direction.

Nako noticed, immediately thinking _it was the same as back then_.

“Yabuki-san. Um, thank you for coming.”

Nako glanced up, noticing Hitomi approached her, Nayoung trotting right behind. “I heard from Nayoung-chan that you knew everything, so you came to help.”

She was used to getting attention, but it was still embarrassing for her. She scratched her cheek with a shy laugh. “I wanted to.” She dug into her bag again and pulled out Nayoung's baseball glove.

Nayoung's eyes lit up when she saw her old glove as well. Nako held the glove and ball out to Hitomi. Hitomi blinked in surprise and confusion.

“I think it's time we fulfill Nayoung-ssi's dream.” She peered over Hitomi's shoulder to look at the spirit, smiling. “You can't hit a home run if you don't have a pitcher, right?”

Hitomi slowly started to understand the situation and gingerly took the glove and ball.  She turned to Nayoung, who looked ecstatic as Hitomi wore her old glove and tossed the ball a few times in the palm.

“Let's see how much your batting improved, Nayoung-chan!”

 

* * *

 

The walk back to the office was silent.

Nako lead the way, Hitomi followed behind, and Chaewon lead the rear.  Hitomi insisted that she was okay but wanted Nako at the front and Chaewon behind as they went to the office. Nako immediately wanted to ask why, but Chaewon just looked at her, telling her to go with it.

When they got back, there was a familiar streak of black hair standing at the front, waiting patiently.

Nako realized she didn't say a word to Eunbi about her whereabouts and started to sweat. She might not be able to get out of this one…

“Ah, Nako, Hii-chan, Chaewon-ah!”

Eunbi greeted happily, approaching them with smiles. Nako awkwardly waved, and Eunbi immediately noticed something was wrong.

“E-Eunbi-unnie…”

A soft voice croaked right behind her, and Hitomi stumbled forward, immediately reaching for Eunbi. Eunbi blinked but caught her into a tight hug right away. It was the next second that Hitomi's body quivered and shook, tears of anguish hidden against Eunbi's body that the realization hit Nako.

Hitomi wanted to be in the middle between her and Chaewon, to hide her tears so they wouldn't worry.

Eunbi held her tightly, glancing up at Nako and Chaewon who stood there silently.

“Could you two give us some time alone? Go grab some drinks and snacks at the convenience store nearby. You both should know what I want.”

They exchanged an awkward glance and a nod with each other, before walking off in the other direction.

 

* * *

 

Similar to cafés, convenience stores had the same feeling as the ones back at home. They offered a wide range of products, not just snacks and instant noodles, but health care, beauty, and much more. Nako could get lost in the sea of Korean snacks. 

She stood in front of the variety of snacks, pondering which one Eunbi liked.

Wordlessly, her leather jacket wearing companion next to her pulled out a cheese flavored snack and a strawberry flavored one and handed it to Nako. Nako blinked, accepting both. This must be something they all enjoyed at the office.  They went to get drinks next.

“Chaewon-ssi.” Nako finally said, the silence between them killing her slowly. “Thank you for helping out tonight. If you hadn't…” Her voice trailed, not wanting to continue that thought.

“I did it for Hitomi.”

The response is curt, Chaewon avoiding Nako's curious gaze.

“She shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place.”

Nako rubbed the bottom of her chin with her freehand after that. There are some situations that can't be controlled, and she believed that was one of them. She studied Chaewon as Chaewon grabbed drinks, was the redhead trying to pin the blame on someone?

Was she trying to pin it on _her_?

Her brow furrowed.  She didn't want to question her senior, but it did bother her the way she said that.

“Then it was good you were there.”

Nako said just as curt, her gaze moving away from Chaewon to stare at all the drinks. She wasn't in much of a mood for anything, maybe just a hot bath and a scoop of ice cream…

Chaewon handed two cans of cider to her and gestured towards the cashier. It looks like they were done here. Nako nodded, pulling out her wallet as they went to the counter.

“Nako-ssi.”

Her attention pulled away for a moment to glance at Chaewon behind her.

“Be careful on the field next time. I might not be there if you're in trouble.”

Those words sent shivers down Nako's spine. It sounded like a warning and a scolding at the same time. She couldn't tell if Chaewon disliked her or not.

After everything was paid for, they returned to the office, Chaewon leading the way. As Nako stared at her backside, she slowly remembered something Chaeyeon mentioned when they went out.

_“Chaewon-ah is a good kid. She tries to be really cool but she's a big softie in the inside.”_

A smile slowly tugged on her lips.

 

* * *

 

When Nako and Chaewon returned to the office, it was silent bare the soft labored breathing coming from the couch. Through the darkness, Nako could make out Hitomi's small form curled up on the couch, resting on Eunbi's lap.

Chaewon passed her without a word, immediately unzipping her jacket despite the bitter cold night, and wrapping it around Hitomi's small form. She took a seat across.

Nako felt out of place, everyone in the office was close but she literally started just a couple of weeks ago.  She decided to tough it out and made her way to the lounge and set the things Eunbi asked for on the table. “Eunbi-unnie…”

Eunbi's eyes opened, glancing over at Nako and gave her a tired smile. “Thank you. I hope you and Chaewon had a chance to talk a little.”

Wearily, Nako glanced at Chaewon, whose focus just stayed on the girl in Eunbi's lap. She didn't want to upset Eunbi, so she just nodded slightly. Her eyes rested on Hitomi after. “Will she be…”

“She'll be fine.” Eunbi whispered, stroking Hitomi's hair gently. “She's strong.” Her eyes slowly moved upwards, giving an apologetic smile to Nako.

“Why don't you go home and get some rest? I'm sure you're just as exhausted as she is.”

Nako wanted to protest, but there was a certain look to Eunbi's face, an authority that she couldn't go against. She nodded, looking at Hitomi one last time, before bowing respectively to both her seniors in the office.

“Please have a good night, and…” She glanced at Hitomi, wanting to say something to her but couldn't find the right words.

Eunbi just smiled at her, “Don't worry, I'll tell her your concerns.”

Nako scratched her cheek gently and thanked Eunbi one last time before excusing herself from the office.

…

As soon as Nako left, Eunbi's attention went over to the redhead in front of her, whose eyes never left Hitomi the entire time. Their gazes eventually met when Chaewon felt Eunbi’s focus only on her.

“I'm thinking about making Nako Hitomi's _partner_.”

As cool and calm as Chaewon always was, Eunbi could see the small tremor of emotions just from the way her shoulders tense when she made that suggestion. Chaewon stared at Eunbi, gaze defiant and full of question.

“You've read the report and you seen Nako out tonight, despite that she shouldn’t have been there.”

“That doesn't mean she's right to be Hitomi's partner.”

“Neither are you.”

Chaewon flinched at those words, but continued to stare at Eunbi defiantly, trying to challenge her to say it again.

On the other hand, Eunbi knew Chaewon wasn't going to like this idea at all. Chaewon was a stubborn bull, and if there was something she did not agree with, it would take the entire time to fly to Japan and back for her to eventually give in. Even then, she was poor at hiding her displeasure.

“Chaewon-ah, listen to me. You know Nako complements Hitomi well. They have the potential to be so much more if they learn from each other.”

Chaewon's eyes moved to the girl in Eunbi's lap. “She can learn from me, or either of us.”

“... Both you and I would be a burden to either of them in our state.”

Eunbi watched Chaewon's hands tighten around her arms.  Chaewon was smart, Eunbi was sure she knew everything that she was telling her. It was just hard to hear it.

“I know having Hitomi around makes you calm and able to do your job efficiently, but you will snap at _her_ name still.”

At the mention of _her,_ Eunbi's eyes fell upon Hitomi's desk, a look of longing reflected in her dark eyes.  It slowly moved to her own desk, a bitter smile plastered on her face.  “I'm no better.”

“...You’re still worried about _her_?”

Chaewon's question was quiet, as she stared at Eunbi now.

Eunbi sighed, “Of course I am. She is a big part of my life.” She paused, knowing that this was going to get them nowhere if they continued. She reached for the plastic bag that Nako brought and took out a can of cider, tossing it to Chaewon and grabbing the other.

“Let's watch over the two of them together. I know if it's anyone who can help the both of us, it's them.”

She opened her cider and held it up to Chaewon, in a symbol of peace and for them to cheers. Chaewon slowly bumped her own can against Eunbi's, but from the look in her eyes, Eunbi knew Chaewon still had her doubts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ hello, welcome to the end of chapter 2!
> 
> i know something is good in the world when i actually release a second chapter! 
> 
> before I go on my usual rambles, thank you so much for the kudos and the comments! it made me really happy that people enjoyed the first chapter and can't wait for more. i hope you were able to enjoy this second chapter as well! 
> 
> i also may have dropped a lot more hints for the future chapters than i intended in the second chapter, so i wonder if you were able to catch them. 
> 
> nako's interactions with the different characters in the story showed a lot of different sides. her conversation with chaeyeon was a pleasure to write and one of my favorite parts of the chapter. i've always enjoyed writing chaeyeon.
> 
> the other conversation i liked was eunbi's and chaewon's at the end. it's a very brief glimpse at their closeness and frankness of how they treat each other, especially when it comes to work. chaewon has been trickier introducing into this universe, i wanted her to dislike nako completely but i couldn't bring myself to write it, so i tweaked the original idea. she also is very close to hitomi, a lot more than i also intended, oops. we all know she's soft for the bread-loving cheeks.
> 
> also, i am sorry nayoung. i was going to use an arbirtary name at first, but then the more i wanted to tie hitomi on a personal level to the case, her name came up that i included her.
> 
> anyway, once again, i hope you enjoyed ghost story 02. number 03 will be a bit more building and hopefully a bit lighter than this one... but we'll see. you can write an outline but for some reason the outcome sometimes comes out quite differently. starting from 03 i might take out the pair mentions just because certain pairs i don't say because they play a major role in the chapter (or future ones) and i think it might be better for everyone to slowly discover or figure it out on their own. if you think otherwise, i would love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> thank you for reading, the comments, and the kudos again. you guys are amazing! please keep on commenting, i'm interested to hear what you think! 
> 
> until next chapter!


	3. Ghost Story 03: Behind the Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nako's position in the office is adjusted to allow her to participate in more field cases (officially). She is eager to learn more about the world that she has become involved in now.
> 
> However, she doesn't learn just about the spiritual world around her, but also sees new sides to her co-workers through a monthly gathering.

“I decided to change your position in the office.”

Nako remained silent, slowly nodding at Eunbi who sat across from her. It felt like a normal morning, she got up, had breakfast with Eunbi, got ready, and then left to work together. As she prepared herself to continue her paperwork for the day, Eunbi suddenly called her into the lounge.

She had a feeling it was about her position in the office, but she didn't know whether this change would be good or bad. She always went to the negative side, especially that in technical terms, she had been (sometimes) disobeying her job description since the _very first day_.

The contrast between her and Eunbi at breakfast and her and Eunbi at work was huge. Eunbi teased and gushed over her during breakfast but at work, she made sure to be professional (with the occasional slip). That's why this also particularly scared her, she just couldn't read Eunbi.

Nako wanted to look at her other two colleagues in the office for help, but they were engrossed in their own work (with probably one ear listening to her and Eunbi). Although, the slow, spaced out clicks of Chaewon's mouse and the occasional crunch from Hitomi's daily breakfast told her they weren't even working (yet).

She heaved in deep breath, waiting with heavy anticipation of what would come of her.

Eunbi laughed instead. “Why are you so tense, Nako?”

Nako slowly exhaled, “I'm waiting for my new position as janitor.”

The clicks from Chaewon's mouse stopped and there was a half-choking noise from Hitomi's desk. Nako knew at that point the two of them were listening. She wanted to turn around and beg for help, but it would be rude to her superior in front of her.

Eunbi smirked, “I'm not demoting you. I'm changing your position.” She leaned back in her seat, her lips relaxing into more of a smile. “I want to move you into more of an assistant position.”

“An assistant…”

Nako repeated the words, confirming she heard it correctly. It sounded exactly the same position she was currently in but kept quiet to let Eunbi finish.

“I think you definitely have the qualities to become a hunter like us, but you lack the experience. I don't want to put you in dangerous situations by yourself, so I think this position will suit you better.” She explained slowly, giving Nako a moment to absorb everything before explaining further, “This is similar to what you do now, but I'm going to give you more field work. Or how you would put it, being let out of the office.”

Nako cracked a smile at the slight touch of sarcasm at the end. Maybe she was rubbing off on her senior a little... She lost the smile quickly and nodded seriously. “I see… Then I will accompany you on different cases then?”

“Yes. Except…” Eunbi paused, her eyes darted away from Nako to where Hitomi was at her desk. “You'll be paired with Hii-chan most of the time.”

There was a rather loud click, but it couldn't be heard over the muffled “eh?” from Hitomi's stuffed mouth. Nako let out the same noise of confusion, just not as muffled.

“Honestly, I think Hii-chan will be a good wealth of information for you to learn from. Unlike Chaewon, Hii-chan actually studied hard in academics.”

“ _Unnie_!”

Chaewon suddenly let out a whine from her desk. Eunbi grinned and waved her away, silently telling her to go back to work.

“Of course, you'll be moved around if needed.  Sometimes you or Hii-chan will accompany us as well. Your abilities are very special and helpful.”

Nako was startled by Chaewon's sudden whine earlier. It's not often that someone who first came off as “cold” and “blunt” was rendered to a baby whine in one second. She snapped out of it when Eunbi talked about hers and Hitomi's abilities.

There was something different about theirs that perhaps Eunbi and Chaewon didn't have.

“I see…” She trailed lightly, “Is there a specific reason?”

“Chaewon and I cannot see spirits like you two.”

Nako’s eyes fluttered, she couldn't believe the words that came from Eunbi's mouth. How can you be a hunter if you cannot _see_ the things you are hunting? Eunbi laughed shortly after, she caught onto Nako's confusion.

"Our ability... Is a little bit different. We can sense spirits. Specifically, I can differentiate spirit types. I can tell whether or not the spirit is peaceful or hostile."

Nako slowly nodded as she tapped her chin in thought. Unlike her and Hitomi, who had to use interactions and physical characteristics to tell whether the person in front of them was a spirit, Eunbi and Chaewon can tell right away. Her eyes drifted to Chaewon on the other side of the room.

Chaewon caught her gaze, "I have sharp senses. I can easily find them despite not being able to see."

"Like a watchdog." Eunbi teasingly added.

" _Unnie! Stop!_ " The whine was instantaneous and created a few giggles and teasing grins.

"Does that help, Nako?"

Eunbi asked, directing her attention back to her. Nako nodded silently, "Should I um... Do anything then? Read? Write? Remember everything in the database?" She asked, wanting to fulfill her new position without any disappointment. Eunbi's grin widened. "I'm glad you asked, could you run some errands? I didn't get my morning coffee today."

"I'll take an espresso with a mint chocolate shot."

"Just a green tea please!"

At all the sudden requests, Nako's excitement dropped to an all time low at her new job.

 

* * *

 

From disobedient desk worker to coffee-runner assistant, Nako wondered where she went wrong.

She squeezed through the line of people waiting out the coffee shop, probably doing their own coffee runs like she was. She mindlessly sipped her own latte (with extra milk), walking back to the office.  She never could imagine her new life in Korea like _this--_ inspecting people’s house like detectives in a movie, fighting off ghosts like all those weird, supernatural dramas… What would her parents and siblings say?  What would her friends say?  What would Miku say?

Her thoughts went astray when she glanced to her right, spotting a park full of small children playing.  She smiled, they were so innocent and carefree.

Except for that one crying kid off to the side.

She stopped, glancing around, where was the kid's mom, dad, or guardian? Did the other children not hear him?

She slowly approached him and knelt to his height (which wasn't much honestly). "Hello!" She called out gently. The boy looked up at her through his tears. He shied away.

Nako laughed, "I won't hurt you." She held up her hands in a "surrender" sign. "Is everything okay?"

"I... I was just playing... And then... Lost my mommy..." He sniffed quietly, his shoulders shuddering. Nako glanced around, there were no signs of a mother around for this boy.

"Do you need help finding someone?"

Nako nearly toppled over at a familiar voice that towered above her.  She threw her head back as the girl who seemed to be always by her office appeared (almost out of nowhere).  She smiled at Nako before kneeling next to her, searching for the boy’s eyes.  The boy shyly nodded his head.

“We’ll go look for your Mommy in a little bit, why don’t you play with the children while these Unnies talk?”

Her voice was warm and kind.  She waited patiently for the boy to smile and then he ran off to join the children in the park.  Both her and Nako stood up now as they watched silently.  Nako’s eyes slowly trailed to the girl next to her, “I didn’t know we were going to talk.”

“I thought there was something on your mind, judging from that look on your face when you were walking back to the office.”

She smiled at Nako, and Nako arched a brow.  Did she make her emotions that obvious or was the girl perceptive?  They sat down at a nearby bench, staring at the boy who ran around with the children.

“Did they send you on a coffee run?”

She asked first, her eyes stared at the bag Nako carried and the drink in Nako’s hand.  Nako laughed a little as she sipped her latte.  “Unfortunately, that was my first job after being moved into a field assistant position.”

The girl laughed as well and clapped.  “Congratulations!  Also, let me guess, Eunbi-unnie wanted a black coffee to watch her diet and Chaewon-unnie wanted an espresso with a shot of mint chocolate?”

Nako blinked in surprise at the accurate answer.  She knew both of their orders down like how she knew the exact moves to TWICE’s _What is Love?._ “And a green tea for Honda-san.  And I guess this latte for me.” Nako added in with a small grin.  The girl laughed again.

A comfortable silence settled between them, the both of them just watched the young, crying boy from earlier run with the children. Nako played with the rim of her cup for a little bit, trying to form some words or thoughts to talk to this girl she barely knew.

“What was it like when you started working at the office?”

Nako finally asked, leaning back on the bench to catch a glimpse of the side profile of the auburn hair next to her. A small smile turned on her lips, she seemed to remember something fondly.

“It was… fresh, something new.” Her eyes continued to watch the children play. “I felt like I didn't have the whole world watching me.”

That made Nako curiously tilt her head. She related very well to that feeling when she first came to Korea. But why did _she_ feel that way?

“Despite how slow I was at learning things… How I didn't understand everything, how I didn't believe in myself, and my circumstance and situation… Eunbi-unnie and Chaewon-unnie stayed by my side. They didn't care about my situation, especially Chaewon-unnie,” she giggled, “they just wanted to help people in anyway they can.”

_Maybe that's why they started the Kwon-Kim Celeb Office together._

Nako caught the other's gaze, she smiled sheepishly at her.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble, it has been forever since I could talk like that with someone.”

“Do you regret anything?”

At the question, the girl turned her head back. Something glimmered in her eyes but Nako couldn't catch it.

“I don't but… I know _they_ do.”

The reply was quiet, concern lacing in the tone.

“Have you… talked with them?”

Nako was careful with her words, knowing that not everything was what it seemed but wanted to help if she could. The small smile wavered.

“They say that overwhelming guilt and grief is what keeps some things away.”

She stood up as the boy came running over, the other children were slowly dispersing and going home. The boy tugged at her hand. “Unnie, everyone is leaving...”

“Did you have fun?”

The boy nodded a little, still shy around the two females. The girl smiled, rubbing his head gently. “Let's go look for your Mommy then.”

She turned back to Nako, “Thank you for listening, I was usually the one who listened to others.”

Nako shook her head, “I don't mind, I did it a lot when I was at home.” She stood up as well.

They exchanged parting words before the girl left with the young boy. Nako grabbed the bag of the now-lukewarm drinks. She paused for a moment, noticing the overarching dark shape behind the bag.

She quickly looked at the direction of where the pair disappeared to, but they were already gone. She furrowed her brow, that was strange…

Was it just her imagination, or did they not have anything behind them?

 

* * *

 

At least once a month, Chaeyeon dragged the Kwon-Kim office into some sort of evening gathering.  It started way back when Eunbi and Chaewon were in Woolim.  Chaeyeon knew how hard Eunbi worked, that it often got to the point of exhaustion, so she took it on herself to force Eunbi to take a break.  She also did it because otherwise she may never see the Kwon-Kim office outside of their rundown office building.

It also served as a bonding session between the office members themselves.

“I don’t think I would be close to Eunbi-unnie or Chaewon-unnie if it wasn’t for Chaeyeon-unnie.”

Hitomi explained as her and Nako walked side-by-side to a large apartment complex.  They were the last to leave the office, making sure things were prepared for the next day.  In Nako’s hand was a box of pastries and desserts to share with everyone.

Nako nodded at the explanation, “Chaeyeon-unnie has that effect.” She said, knowing full-well from experience what kind of special gravity pull the brunette had.

They rang the apartment bell and waited patiently as Chaeyeon buzzed them in.  Nako followed closely behind Hitomi, glancing around the complex.  It was well-maintained, clean, and modern.  The rent or purchase price of the property must be high…

As they opened the door and stepped into the flat, a delicious aroma hit them.  Hitomi’s eyes widened and sparkled with glee.

“Chaeyeon-unnie is making dakgalbi!”

Laughter rang from the kitchen, Chaeyeon poked her head out from around the corner.  “I’m glad you can recognize my cooking, Hii-chan!  I made cheese hot dogs for you as well.”

A squeal came from Hitomi, “Let me help, Unnie!” In a flash, she took her shoes off and barely slipped into the slippers as she stumbled her way into the kitchen.  Nako could only watch in amusement, she’s never seen Hitomi so excited over food before.

“Just make yourself at home, Nako!”

She thanked Chaeyeon, excusing herself politely and put on another pair of slippers.  She slowly made her way to the living room, silently observing her surroundings as she went along.  Chaeyeon’s apartment was spacious for just one person, you could probably fit another person or two easily.  It was neat and tidy with a more minimalistic look.  She could only assume it was because Chaeyeon spent more time in her dance studio.

She found Chaewon and Eunbi sitting on a pair of couches, watching something on TV.  Chaewon’s lips were turned into a grin and her eyes sparked with mirth.  Eunbi was the opposite, her face grim and hidden behind her hands.  She immediately noticed Nako coming into view and cried out in horror, “Don’t look, Nako!”

Of course, that had the opposite effect and Nako glanced at the TV right away.

There was a soft, yet catchy K-pop song that played but the quiet beats were overpowered by the steps of feet dancing across the floor.  Her eyes widened in surprise, a younger Eunbi was on the screen, dancing along the song with careful steps.  She watched for a few more seconds to comprehend what was going on.

“Wow… I didn’t know you could dance, Eunbi-unnie…”

She set the box of pastries and desserts down and sat next to Eunbi on the couch.  Eunbi groaned, digging her face in her hands even more.

“I can’t believe Chaeyeon found our old dance practice videos…”

Nako watched with interest, glancing between the groaning Eunbi and the TV.  There was another girl with equally dark hair--Nako could tell it was Chaeyeon.  She was unfamiliar with the other girls in the video.

“Eunbi-unnie used to dance with Chaeyeon-unnie before she entered Woolim.”

Chaewon filled in, popping open the box Nako brought and peering into the sweets-filled box.  Her head perked up a little, Nako guessed she must have seen the mint chocolate macarons that they brought.

“It’s not even embarrassing, Eunbi-unnie is just being dramatic.”

Chaeyeon walked into the living room, holding a white bowl.  She stood next to Nako and Eunbi’s seats, passing the Japanese girl a bowl and asked to taste for the spiciness.  As Nako tasted the sauce, she turned her attention to Eunbi.

“Did Kwangbae respond?”

Nako blinked, wincing at the kick of spiciness.  It made her tongue tingle and throat slightly burn.  She noticed the same name Chaeyeon mentioned before.  Eunbi fished for her phone in her bag, pulling it out and checked the messages.  There was a small frown, but it turned into a small smile.

“She said they’re filming until the late evening, so she won’t be able to make it but if you’re cooking, she humbly requests for a take-out order.”

Chaeyeon snorted with laughter as Nako handed the bowl back to her.  “She can go order her own take-out.” She rolled her eyes as she went back to the kitchen. “Dinner's almost ready, so come to the table soon!”

Eunbi snapped shut the box Chaewon had been eyeing the entire conversation as she grabbed the handle. “No eating dessert before dinner.” She quickly stood up and took it away before Chaewon could even get one remark in.

Chaewon blinked and groaned as Eunbi ran away with the box. “I wasn't even going to eat it!”

Nako watched with a small laugh as she followed the two to the kitchen. There was certainly a lot of sides of the office that she never saw before.

 

* * *

 

“Hii-chan, were you the one who thought of the idea of bringing mint chocolate macarons for Chaewon?”

“Those? Those are Yabuki-san's actually…”

“Nako-ssi, you are also a mint chocolate fan?”

“Ah? Yes, I really like mint chocolate, Chaewon-ssi…”

“Oh no, not another one…”

 

The conversation over the dakgalbi pan made Chaeyeon chew slowly and eye everyone carefully. She eventually spoke up after they got into some back and forth about the Mint chocolate flavor.

“Are you still addressing everyone formally, Nako?”

Nako finished sipping the soup Chaeyeon made with the dinner, blinking, “Yes? I've only been at the office for a short while, Chaeyeon-Unnie…”

The brunette suddenly “tutted”, “That's bad for your office dynamic! Especially if it's only four of you.” She turned to Eunbi, “Eunbi-unnie you should know better than that!”

Eunbi blinked, “Chaeyeon-ah, you know I don't control the formalities of my workers.”

“Well, today, we're going to spend the night without formalities.”

There was a few clinking chopsticks and some confused chokes, all eyes on the apartment owner now, who grinned with confidence. Chaeyeon was going to help them bond, whether they like it or not.

“Tonight, you're allowed to drop any formalities with each other. Treat each other like same-age friends!”

An eerie silence settled between all of them, gaping mouths just stared at Chaeyeon blankly.

Eunbi spoke up first, “Chaeyeon-ah, I don't think this is a good idea…”

“My house, my rules, Eunbi- _ya_.”

The silence hit again, except with a few more clanking chopsticks and slow, wild grins widening on some faces as the reality set in.

“I agree with C-Chaeyeon-ah!”

Hitomi spoke up, stuttering and flushing a little at having to suddenly change her speech pattern. The idea seemed fun though, being able to drop formalities just for the night.

“I oppose this idea---”

“Yah, yah, yah, you're not going to win, Eunbi-ya.” Chaewon cut off Eunbi with a proud smirk, “Everyone else is just going to pile up on you.”

“I'm still your boss!”

The fun finally settled in as everyone started to make jabs at each other without the use of formalities. Nako chewed on some rice, watching quietly from the side. She felt like she was watching some sitcom or a real family dinner.

A painful smile crossed her face, she enjoyed the friendly banter, but it also made her miss home.

“Nako-chan?”

Nako blinked when she glanced at Hitomi next to her, who shot her a concerned look. “Is everything okay?”

“Ah yeah, I was just thinking.”.

She quickly dismissed, grabbing a piece of tteokbokki from the iron plate.

“Is...it okay to call you that? Nako-chan, that is.”

The question caught Nako off-guard, and she stared at her. Hitomi's question was sincere, asking to drop formalities as co-workers. She hesitated but realized that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

“I'm fine with that, Honda-san.”

She felt a slight jab at her ribs and yelped. She shot Hitomi a bewildered look, did she just attack her with metal chopsticks?!

A pout was her only response.  “Chaeyeon-unnie said we're dropping formalities tonight, so it's Hii-chan to you!”

Nako went silent, blinking.

_Hii-chan…_

Slowly, she started to smile, and reached over to Hitomi’s plate.  She sneakily grabbed a piece of her hot dog and popped in her mouth with a smirk, ignoring the horrified expression on Hitomi’s face.

“I thought we were dropping formalities, _Hii-chan_?”

 

* * *

 

The lights dimmed as everyone gathered in the middle of Chaeyeon's living room. The box of pastries was shared among everyone, the leftovers left for them to nibble at in the middle. They huddled in a circle, akin to a group of friends camping (just inside and away from the cold).

“This is a dumb idea, Chaeyeon-ah. Why would a group of _ghost_ hunters tell _ghost_ stories?”  Chaewon chided from the macaron she bit into, leaning against the palm of her hand.

Chaeyeon flopped in the empty space between Nako and Eunbi, taking a small pastry that wasn't so sweet for herself.  “Why, are you scared Chaewon-ah?” She smirked behind her mouthful. The red-head rolled her eyes as she leaned against Hitomi next to her, “I'm looking out for _Hitoma.”_

“Yah, yah, yah Kim Chaewon-ah” Hitomi immediately replied, shoving her playfully off her.

They shared a small laugh and watched in amusement at the wrestle match that happened between Chaewon and Hitomi before Chaeyeon cleared her throat to get them to stop.  “Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, we should exchange ghost stories!” She grinned as she looked back and forth between everyone.  “It will just be like a high school camping trip!”

Eunbi laughed as she took a pastry from the middle, “The last time we did that, I vaguely remember you clinging onto _Hyewon_ for dear life.”

Chaeyeon’s face flushed and she slapped Eunbi’s shoulder, muttering a weak objection underneath her breath.

Nako ate a macaron quietly, glancing back and forth between everyone and listened intently.  She kept hearing different names being exchanged and others that she did not know being mentioned.  She tapped her chin lightly, what kind of ghost story could she even tell?  She was always more of a comedian back in Japan, but maybe exaggeration could definitely help…

“W-Well, I have a good story tonight!”

Nako snapped out of her thought as everyone turned their attention to Chaeyeon, who turned on the flashlight on her phone and held it beneath her chin to give off a chilling expression to set the mood.

 

...

 

They exchanged stories in a circle starting from Chaeyeon.  Most of the stories were light-hearted (despite Chaeyeon cowering a few times) and reflected on their personal experiences and encounters on the job.  As Hitomi finished her story, all eyes laid on Nako who had been enjoying everything and thinking about what she could tell.  She took the flash-light phone from Hitomi’s hands and pointed it beneath her chin.  

She leaned forward as her eyes traveled slowly to everyone gathered in the circle.

“Do you know the story of the _Kuchisake-onna_?”

Eunbi and Chaewon both shook their heads, they barely spoke Japanese, so the word was foreign to them.  Chaeyeon had a puzzled expression on her face, trying to think of what _Kuchisake-onna_ meant in Korean.  Hitomi blinked but frowned, she knew what it meant but what exactly was the story?

At the blank expressions, Nako smiled.  
  
“It’s okay, I didn’t either when I was in elementary school, but I met a girl who told me about this story.”  She paused for a moment, studying everyone’s curious look.  “The story goes that back to the feudal days.  There was a beautiful woman who danced around the village, asking if she was ‘pretty’.  Everyone always praised her and eventually she was married off to the most intelligent samurai in the village.  However, because of her beauty, she thought she could have an affair with a soldier who was passing along.  When the samurai confronted the soldier, the soldier pleaded for his life, saying that she was the most beautiful woman so he could not avoid temptation.

The samurai admired the soldier’s honesty and figured out that it was the woman’s idea to have an affair.  When he faced his wife that night, he brought a pair of scissors from the kitchen and…”

Nako raised one finger as the others watched in horror, and dragged the fingertip against her face, from one ear to the other.  “Made a large slit.  The woman was no longer pretty, and the villagers were afraid of her.  She eventually killed herself.”

Everyone remained silent, a few shudders here and there for the ending of a gruesome tale.

“... You were exchanging stories like these as kids?”

Chaewon eventually asked, raising a brow at Nako.  Nako laughed, “I guess we did.  But that’s not the end.” She took a small, moving herself slowly forward as the others leaned forward as well in anticipation.

“The next day after I heard the story, the girl came to school, but she wore a white mask that covered her entire face.  I thought it was normal because we wear masks all the time when we’re sick, so when I wished for her to get better, she pulled me off to the side and warned me…”

A sudden chill settled in the room.

“Be aware of the woman who asks, “ _am I pretty_?” because if you say yes…

 

Her mask slipped off

 

and all I saw was angry lashes of large jagged red marks stretched from ear to ear.”

Nako shut the light off and abruptly turned it back on after pulling her shirt up and over her mouth like a mask.

Eunbi blinked in confusion but cried out sharply as Chaeyeon suddenly grabbed her with a loud whimper.  Hitomi and Chaewon also clung onto each other, Hitomi repeatedly pressing her hands against her ears so she wouldn’t have to listen anymore.  Chaewon had her arms around Hitomi, closing and opening her eyes repeatedly.

“And that’s the story of the _Kuchisake-onna_.”

Nako laughed as she pulled her shirt back down and looked around with a grin.  Hitomi was scared out of her mind and Chaewon was trying to look tough but her hands shook a little.  Chaeyeon was completely out of it from the way she peeked out from Eunbi’s shoulder.  Eunbi frowned, and reached over to where Nako sat, and slapped her head gently.

“Yah, why would you tell a story like that?”  She lectured lightly which made Nako laugh, rubbing her head.  “You asked for a ghost story and I didn’t have any, so I just retold an old myth I heard in school.”

The lights suddenly came back on.  Chaeyeon had eventually rose from her spot on Eunbi’s shoulder and went over to the light switch on the other side of the room.  She glanced at the others with a small, shaky smile.

“W-Why don’t you guys stay for the night?  T-There’s plenty of space…”

After exchanging glances with each other, everyone slowly agreed to have an impromptu sleepover at Chaeyeon’s apartment, probably to avoid the _Kuchisake-onna_ or something potentially worst late at night.

 

* * *

 

Usually after ghost stories, Nako couldn't fall asleep right away. She would play with her phone or watch a drama to get her mind off things, but being at Chaeyeon's house, she thought she could help.

She scrubbed the grime off the flat surface of the plate before handing it to Chaeyeon.

“You could've gone to bed, Nako. I could've finished this myself.”

Chaeyeon quipped as she rinsed the plate that she handed to her. “I'm sure everyone is asleep now despite that grotesque picture you painted for us.” her lips pushed into a small pout. The story of the crooked mouth woman still made shivers tingle down her spine.

That made Nako laugh and grin a little. She was proud that her story-telling skills did not go stale. She needed to be quick-witted and funny before, so she was glad to hear they didn’t completely deteriorate.

“It's okay, I should wash dishes to earn my stay for the night.”

They both laughed, it was a good way to get their minds away from the Japanese folk tale.

Chaeyeon's face suddenly dropped into a more perplex expression as she rinsed a few more things Nako finished scrubbing.

“You don't need to answer this if it's uncomfortable, but… is there a reason why you have never mentioned anything about your life before?  With HKT...”

_HKT48…_

A name that held lots of precious memories, both wonderful and painful at the same time.

Nako stopped scrubbing the bowl from dinner in her hands. It was obvious the name still brought ill thoughts, just judging how her stomach ached and her shoulders tense.

“There… has been no reason to bring it up.”

She breathed in deeply to calm her suddenly wounded up nerves, handing Chaeyeon the bowl.  She knew she had the tendency to hold everything in, her senior she admired the most always told her.

She also told her she needed to be strong, to burden the weight of the path she chose.

Her eyes flickered to Chaeyeon, who frowned a little.

“I see.  So, you being an idol is a secret?”

_3rd Generation Ace, Yabuki Nako of HKT48._

Nako scrubbed the rim of a glass she held in her hand and handed it to Chaeyeon once she was satisfied the leftover residue was gone. A torn smile edged on her lips.

“It’s… not a secret, just something I never brought up.”

Her voice hushed as she finished the last dish and pulled off the rubber gloves with a satisfied smile. She blinked when she felt a warm elbow on her head and groaned, “Chaeyeon-Unnie, now isn't the time to tease me about my height.”

Chaeyeon laughed as she rinsed and dried the last dish. “It's my way of saying _don't worry_! I told Saku-chan I would look out for you after all... Although, you do make a good arm rest!”

Nako splashed Chaeyeon with the lukewarm water that was leftover from her dish cleaning and Chaeyeon fought back with a cloth. An impromptu water fight started, the two laughed and threw playful remarks in a mix of Japanese and Korean.

 

* * *

 

 

Nako and Hitomi's first “official” case together brought them to Myeongdong, a bustling district full of people from all over. Even at night, there were floods of people everywhere along the flashy led lights and signboards. Nako stuck to Hitomi like glue, she didn't want to lose herself among the sea of warm bodies.

Their client ran a small beauty parlor in one of the smaller, backstreets.  She requested for their service at night, where most of the issues started.  During the evening hours of their business, things were slower, so staff had more time to tend to the stock and treat customers with utmost care.  However, lately, all the staff and a few regular customers have been saying some strange occurrences have been happening.  Lights flickering, things being turned or moved when no one had touch them before, and on very rare instances, a woman would appear in the mirror, wearing a surgical mask…

“I thought your story about the _Kuchisake-onna_ was a myth!”

Hitomi hissed at Nako as the manager left them in the back room for a moment to help one of the employees. Nako shrugged, “It's a story we all heard when we were younger, I didn't think it would be _real_.”

Hitomi whined a little, covering her ears with her hands. “What do I say again if I meet her? You're pretty? You're not pretty? You're okay?”

A brow arched and a tiny smile tugged at Nako's lips at Hitomi's reaction, “You're suppose to say…”

“Sorry about that!  Just a minor problem with the card machine.” The manager came back with a smile.  “I can show you the breaker room now.”

Nako stood up, “Thank you.” She turned to Hitomi (who still had her hands over her ears), “Why don’t you check out the front of the store?  I don’t think both of us need to be in the breaker room.” She suggested, still raising a brow at Hitomi’s position before laughing a little.

Hitomi slowly lowered her hands, “F-fine.  Just be quick, okay?” She muttered in Japanese, still frightened out of her mind.  She stood up, dusting herself off as Nako waved her off and followed the manager through a different corridor.  She watched her go off with a frown, gently rubbing her cheeks.  It was okay, she was a ghost or spirit hunter or whatever they call themselves, she can do it.

Her phone suddenly went off and she let out a loud screech, dropping it on the ground.

Hastily, she picked it up after realizing what it was, her eyes darted around to see if she alerted anyone.  It was complete silence, but she swore she heard some laughing in the distance.  She checked her message.

**Nako: Just say “you’re average” or something like that to confuse the ghost!** **😉**

She rapidly responded; her fingers lightning fast against the on-screen keyboard.

**Hii: You’re NOT going to be AVERAGE if you do that again!!!**

 

* * *

 

The vast variety of both makeup and skincare still surprised Hitomi, even if she lived in Korea for years now. She occasionally went to these shops and looked through their selections, but it never failed to amaze her at all the choices. She barely could keep up with the new colors and new features and new creams nowadays…

She was looking at the different brands of eyeshadows, checking the different color palettes and comparing them to each other. She heard on a show the other day that you could even mix eyeshadow palettes for a beautiful color. She took a sample palette and was going to try it out when the lights suddenly flickered.

She dropped the palette with a cry and glanced around wildly. The shop staff at the front gasped as well, immediately ducking into the backroom to see if there was an issue with the electricity.  Hitomi gathered up the palette in her hands and dug for her phone in her pocket.

**Hii: Nako-chan?! Is everything okay?**

She bit her lip, waiting for a response. She saw the “read” marker go off…

The lights turned off this time and Hitomi nearly dropped everything in fright. The only thing glowing in the shop was some battery powered objects with led screens and her phone. 

She drew the screen back up--Nako left her on read.

**Hii: This isn't funny.  
** **Hii: I'm going to throw out that tube of Mint Chocolate ice cream you and Chaewon-unnie have been keeping in the freezer.**

She waited with angry, bated breaths… Just waiting to get a response from the short, Japanese girl….

_exCUse me…_

A sharp chill crawled down her neck when she heard a muffled hiss in her ear.

It was like a scene out of a horror movie: Hitomi lifted her head from her phone at the rate of a snail crawling, and when she turned her head slowly to the voice she heard by her ear, her jaw fell.

A woman with long, tangled and somewhat unkempt black hair stared at her, a white surgical mask covering most of her face.

Her heart stopped beating but she was so shocked that her voice couldn't even force itself out of her throat.

_Do you think I’m pretty?_

This was way different from all her times she's interacted with ghosts.

She didn't have Eunbi or Chaewon to help her… and Nako wasn't going to come on time….

“You're…. Um… “

Her brain wracked through anything it can, clawing to look for some quick solution. What did Nako say about this ghost?! She couldn't remember…!

She held up the hand with the eyeshadow in it. “I-I-I think your eyes could be better!”

The woman drew back from Hitomi, her head tilted in curiosity. “Really? Do you recommend that?” She pointed at the eyeshadow palette in her hand.

“Yes!!! Yes, yes! Why don't I help you! Here come sit over here!”

_What was she even doing?_

Hitomi gestured wildly at one of the beauty chairs set up at the side of the shop. The woman looked amused at her but went over, sitting down in the chair and faced the mirror. Hitomi went up behind her, holding the palette with a shaky smile.

“I'm j-just going to mix a couple of colors to um… bring a new color for your eyes…”

“Oh! That sounds wonderful.”

The ghost happily hummed a tune to some pop song she vaguely recognized but her pounding heart and wracking nerves made it too hard for her to concentrate on it. She finished mixing a couple of the colors and asked (very hesitantly) for the ghost to close her eyes.

She started to apply the eyeshadow on, not even wanting to think about the fact she's well, a ghost. And possibly a deadly one at that.

She wished she had Eunbi's ability…

“Y-you can open your eyes now…”

The ghost's eyes fluttered open, gasping at the new color. “It's very… different!”

Her soul wanted to shatter into a million pieces--she was going to die if this was a bad different.

“I think it will look good if I pair it with a nice blush and maybe some lipstick…”

The ghostly hands reached up to take off her face-mask and Hitomi wanted to scream. No, no, no if she did that then she might be meeting her end soon----

“Hii-chan? Is everything okay?”

The familiar voice of her Japanese assistant echoed in the otherwise silent beauty salon that nearly made Hitomi cry in relief. She glanced over at Nako with a desperate look for help.

“Nako-ssi!!! Why don't you, um, give a recommendation for our customer here!!”

Her Korean went in a tone higher than usual, still panicked about the ghost that she was giving makeup tips to.  Nako's brow furrowed, but slowly stepped up to get a better a look. The woman inquisitively looked back at Nako.

“Are you looking for a lipstick and blush to match?”

“Yes, I'm not familiar with this so I would like your opinion.”

With a professional nod, Nako stepped away. “Get yourself settled in. We will give you a nice makeover.”

She pulled Hitomi off to the side, who staggered from finally getting a hold of all her awry emotions. “Hii-chan.” Nako hissed, “Help me out, I don't know the Korean makeup brands very well!”

Hitomi blinked, “Wait, you're serious about this makeover? We're hunters! Exorcists! Whatever they call us!”

Nako stared at her, what dramatic bug hit the bread-loving hunter she was used to. “Not all spirits need to be excised or killed in a dramatic fashion.”

That snapped her out of it, and Hitomi rubbed her forehead.

“Right… Right…”

They both stole a glance over at the woman sitting in the chair, who removed her mask now.

Her face was completely normal, unlike the grotesque cut and sewn up face Nako described in her story a couple of nights ago.

“Is everything okay?”

“... Y-yes, we'll just be a moment!”

Hitomi squeaked out, smiling for the first time that night as she reached for her favorite blush brand.

 

* * *

 

Nako stretched her small body out as her and Hitomi entered the darkened Kwon-Kim Celeb Office. She was relieved that their case came to a peaceful end.

“I can’t believe our ghost turned out to be someone who just wanted a makeover from a random shop…”

There was a grumble behind Nako’s shoulder as Hitomi shut the door behind her with a tired sigh.  Hitomi thought that the case was going to turn into something murderous, all she could think about was the _Kuchisake-onna_ and a bloody pair of scissors she used to cut up children’s mouths.  She put her things down on her desk, flopping onto her chair with a tired sigh.  She was going to need a nice long bath after tonight.

Nako laughed, “It wasn’t that bad.  Everything turned out to be easy in the end!” She disappeared into the kitchen, digging around their fridge for her fruit smoothie she left that morning.

“I think that's been one of the most peaceful cases I've done since I started working.”

She plopped down on the seat next to Hitomi, who wearily looked in her direction. “You've been here for a month, Nako-chan.”

She kindly reminded and Nako pouted. Hitomi just laughed and glanced at her phone, noticing a message from Eunbi. She opened it as Nako started to sort out their notes from tonight.

A frown slipped onto her lips as she read each letter in the message.

“Oh… It's tomorrow, isn't it…”

“Hm? Our report is due tomorrow?”

Nako asked as she took another sip. It would be odd if Eunbi wanted the report tomorrow…

Hitomi cracked a small smile but shook her head. “It seems like Eunbi-unnie won't be in the office tomorrow.  Chaewon-unnie probably won’t be either.”

Nako blinked, while it wasn't abnormal for both of them to be gone, the way Hitomi said it caught her ears. It was quiet and somber. She checked her own phone, a message from Eunbi was there. 

**Eunbi-unnie: You don't need to wait for me tonight, go home and get some rest.**  
**Eunbi-unnie: I won't be coming into the office tomorrow, but I have an assignment for you and Hii-chan.  
** **Eunbi-unnie: Please pick up and deliver flowers to this location.**

Nako glanced at the two addresses. She blinked at the second one, it was an address to a cemetery and the last numbers said a particular spot.

**Eunbi-unnie: Thank you, Nako. I will see you soon.**

Delivering flowers to a cemetery?

“Hii-chan… do you know whose grave we're delivering flowers to tomorrow?”

She asked quietly, glancing at her companion next to her. Hitomi paused, and slowly stood up, going over to Eunbi's desk and gently grabbed a photo frame on the desk. She came back to Nako and showed her the picture there.

“One of the original founders of the “Kwon-Kim Celeb Office…”

Nako's phone dropped silently into her lap as she lost all feeling in her body while her eyes stared in disbelief at the picture.

It all made sense now… The way that she always stayed around the office somehow… How much she knew about them… The _shadow…_

In the photo, three women stood in front of the Kwon-Kim Celeb Office. Eunbi was in the middle, to her right was Chaewon, and to her left was a very familiar girl with reddish brown hair and doe-like eyes.

_“Kim Minjoo.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ hello and thank you for reading chapter 3! 
> 
> sorry for the longer wait on this one, i hope you enjoyed it just as much though. 
> 
> thank you for the kudos and comments and please continue to enjoy this story!
> 
> i don't have much to say about this chapter, just very similar thoughts to that of chapter 02 as we see different sides to Chaewon, Eunbi, and Hitomi this time. i look forward to chapter 04, where we (perhaps) get a bigger glimpse of chaewon and eunbi's past and what happened before.
> 
> thank you for reading, the comments and the kudos once again! as always please leave your thoughts if you wish to share them.
> 
> until next chapter!


	4. Ghost Story 04 (Part 1): The Other Kim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As instructed by Eunbi, Nako and Hitomi deliver a bouquet of flowers to the grave of Kim Minjoo, who passed away a year ago. A sudden phone call and a rumor passed onto the two throws them into the mysterious murder of Kim Minjoo that has been kept a secret to them all this time. 
> 
> Warning: character death (?), (slight detailed) violence and blood  
> Pairs: light chaewon/minjoo, yujin/minjoo

At the entrance of their apartment, a large magnetic blackboard stood tall, the names “Eunbi” and “Nako” written.  Nako and Eunbi often used it to communicate their whereabouts and any other thing they needed to tell the other.  It seemed like a silly idea for two people, especially that they worked in the same office, but Eunbi said it was something she enjoyed doing.

When Nako got home the night before, the message near Eunbi’s name was still the same: “Might be out of the office at night.  Will text you the details.”.  She waited for a few hours to talk to Eunbi when she got back but ended up falling asleep because of the (peaceful yet) exhausting exorcism that her and Hitomi did in Myeongdong.  When she woke up this morning, she checked the board again and the message had changed.

 **“Thank you for today, I’m sorry I can’t meet with you.  
** **I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.”**

It was written formally.

Now that she knew what day it was, she didn’t think twice about why Eunbi wrote it like this.  

Nako went back to the kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast while texting Hitomi and telling her she would meet her at the florist where they would be picking up a bouquet of flowers.

 

* * *

 

It was a somber day, despite the sun being high and the temperature not being too cold.  Nako and Hitomi barely exchanged words when they met at the flower shop.  Nako went inside to retrieve the bouquet while Hitomi called for a taxi on her phone. 

When Nako received the bouquet from the shopkeeper, she turned it around gently to study the flowers.  While she wasn’t familiar with the meaning, she recognized them: the outer layer was delicately layered in white chrysanthemums and the middle layered with white tulips.  White chrysanthemums were typical flowers for this occasion, so she could understand that, but the tulips…

She asked the shopkeeper what they meant.

_Forgiveness, white tulips begged for forgiveness from the receiver._

The explanation left her with more questions than answers as she stepped outside and climbed into the taxi that Hitomi called.  During the ride, all she could do was stare at the bouquet silently and wonder.

_Why was Eunbi-unnie asking for forgiveness from Kim Minjoo?_

 

* * *

 

Hitomi paid for the taxi and Nako waited patiently at the gate of the cemetery, still staring at the bouquet in her hands.

She heard a soft shut and the sounds of the taxi rolling away.

“Ah, that’s odd.” Hitomi suddenly said as she joined Nako at the gate, she held up her phone.  “I need to take this call, Eunbi-unnie says it’s an emergency.  Why don’t you go ahead?”

Nako blinked as well, that was odd, they almost never receive emergencies.  Chaewon and Eunbi usually handled them if they did...  Nodding to the Japanese hunter, she checked her messages again to confirm which grave she had to go to and then meandered her way through the perfectly lined up marble stones.

_4...5...6…_

She counted silently and blinked, just as she reached the _11th_ grave, there was someone already standing there.  She was at least a good two heads above her with brown hair that reached just past her shoulders.  She seemed a handful of years younger than Nako, perhaps still in school despite how tall she was.  As Nako stepped closer to the grave, the girl turned around and stared at her.

“Ah, are you here to pay your respects to Minjoo-unnie?”

“Mm.” Nako made some sort of committal sound and the girl moved away briefly to give her space.  Nako thanked her with a small nod and knelt before the grave to get a better look.  The grave looked recently cleaned and there were flowers already set in the pots next to it.     She opted to gently set the bouquet just before the marble block.  She moved herself backwards, sitting on her knees now and clapped once.  She shut her eyes and prayed.

Or well, sort of.  If she had to be honest, it was a bit strange doing this when you see and talk to the person who was buried underneath here.

After she sent her wishes, she stood back up, dusting her clothes off.

“I didn’t know Minjoo-unnie had Japanese friends.”

The girl mentioned behind her, and Nako shifted to allow her space to see the grave again.  She glanced upwards, “I actually work at her old workplace.”

“Oh.” The other’s face scrunched up, “ _That_ place.  Why don’t they come visit Unnie themselves?”

Nako remained silent, she didn’t know the answer to that question.

“You know… I never understood why Minjoo-unnie joined those _two_ in some crazy business.  She was already a growing star with movie roles and commercials…”

Nako listened, soaking in the information like a sponge.  They seemed to hold a lot of frustration, pent up frustration that this individual couldn’t let out until now.  Although, now knowing that Minjoo used to be some sort of actress, she _finally_ understood why she thought she recognized Minjoo when they first met.  

“She had everything set for her, yet she joined some _ghost agency_.”

A brow raised, Nako could interpret that in many ways but chose to hold her tongue back.  She noticed the girl’s hand curl into a tight fist.

“I... I admired Unnie.  I just couldn’t figure out why she followed them.”

“You’re telling me a lot for someone you don’t know.”

Nako finally raised her voice.  She started to feel a bit uncomfortable that this person, she met five minutes ago, was telling her possibly sensitive information.  “I… don’t know if that’s safe.”

Their eyes met and the other girl offered a small smile.  “You’re different.  I don’t know how to describe it, but I feel that I can trust you.” She paused for a moment, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, “It’s kinda like my instinct.  Minjoo-unnie used to make fun of me all the time.  She claimed that’s how I could make so many good friends.”

Nako slowly nodded, turning her gaze back to Minjoo’s grave.  “I honestly don’t know a lot about Minjoo-ssi.  I’ve seen her… er… I’ve seen her picture in the office once.” She had to quickly correct herself before the other girl would notice.  Nako wasn’t one to disclose the spirits she met to someone who wasn’t in the office.

“Minjoo-unnie was the best!” The girl’s excitement suddenly jumped; her eyes bright as she stared at Nako.  “She was extremely kind.  A kind and gentle soul if I had to put it poetically.”  Her feet swayed a little and she clasped her hands in front of her in a dream-like state.

“She would never hurt a fly; she would never get mad.  Especially to me.” She grinned bashfully.  “I annoyed her a lot like a younger sister would, but she would never get mad… She treated me nicely… Like a normal kid.” The words seemed like they came straight from the heart, bathed in innocence and some-sort of puppy-like love.  The tone turned a bit grim at the end, but it was hard to catch with all the love for Minjoo that poured out.

“I really liked... like her.”

The words were quiet now and she could hear a somewhat choked back sob.

“But she went to them in the end, no matter how much I warned her of how dangerous it was…”

Nako glanced at the taller Korean, noticing how dispirited she became compared to a minute ago. Nako turned her gaze back to the headstone once more, conjuring up words to try and cheer up the girl.

“I think Minjoo-ssi appreciated your support. She seemed like the world, not only to you, but to my seniors as well.”

Her eyes trailed to the large, white bouquet she left on the grave. This wasn't something to be taken lightly, especially if you compare its price and effort.  Nako could relate to all of them in this situation, and it made her heart clench a little.

“... Yeah, she was. And she gave us all her love.”

The other girl smiled fondly, tapping on the headstone gently before she stepped away finally. “I better get going, my teachers will probably be mad if I'm late again.”

She patted Nako's shoulder gently, “Thanks for listening to me.”

“Of course, um…”

“Ahn Yujin. Let's meet again!”

The girl, Yujin, waved to Nako, before jogging to a black car that was parked off to the side. She waved one last time, before disappearing into the car.

Nako blinked, Ahn Yujin? Why was that name so familiar…?

“Wasn't that the girl in those eye contact commercials?”

Hitomi came up from the opposite direction of the girl she just met, Yujin, as she re-joined her.  Her partner’s curious eyes lingered in that direction, even after the black car drove off.  Nako raised a brow, “You can see from that far?”

“She kind of stands out, especially next to you.”

Nako glared at Hitomi, who just smiled cheekily at her.  Hitomi went up to the grave, kneeling in front of it, soft words of a small one-sided conversation coming out from her mouth.  She sat on her knees shortly after, clapping once and sent a silent prayer. 

Nako observed her the entire time, waiting patiently for Hitomi to finish.  Once the cheeky Japanese girl stood back up, Nako arched a brow at her.  “You never saw Minjoo-ssi at the office?”

“You mean her spirit?  I never have.  I thought her spirit passed on a long time ago.  Chaewon-unnie and Eunbi-unnie never could sense or find her spirit.”

_Did Minjoo hide the entire time, watching over them silently?_

The thought pondered on Nako’s mind, but she pushed it aside, it was something that she could ask the said spirit later.  “Ah right, about the call...” She asked, curious about what the “emergency” was from earlier.  Hitomi nodded, gesturing for Nako to walk with her back to the entrance of the cemetery.

“Eunbi-unnie wanted us to go to the local police station, we need to talk to the Senior Inspector about a case.”

“The police?” Nako repeated as they made their way across the grass fields and rows of marble stone.  “That’s… odd, I thought they would be the type to claim that ghosts do not exist…” The only reason she could think that way was from all the dramas and movies that portrayed the police as very prideful and pragmatic people.

She didn’t miss the glance that Hitomi made from over her shoulder, back in the direction of where Minjoo’s grave rested.

“I have a gut feeling that it has something to do with the Kim Minjoo case.  After all…”

Nako’s observant eyes didn’t miss the shudder that shook Hitomi’s body.  A frown tugged at her lips as they waited for the taxi to come, Hitomi’s last words sending her own shivers down her spine.

“She was murdered.”

 

* * *

 

The police station they went to was a small, local station.  According to Hitomi, the Senior Inspector that looked after that area was there.  When they arrived, Nako stood around idly while Hitomi chatted with the officer at the desk.  It’s not until she heard Hitomi go _what?_ in Japanese that her attention zoomed right back to the conversation.

“Someone from the office was already here?” Hitomi quickly switched back to Korean, swallowing her surprise.

“Yes, she already spoke to the Senior Inspector and left… Look, he’s very busy and he already gave someone at your office the information…” Just as the officer was about to dismiss the two Japanese girls, a tall officer stepped out of one of the offices, hearing the commotion at the front desk from his room.

“Officer, is there an issue?”

“Senior Inspector, these two are from the Kwon-Kim Celeb Office.  I thought you already dealt with them?”

The officer gestured towards Hitomi and Nako and the man glanced over at them, blinking for a mere second before a friendly grin turned on his lips.  “Hitomi!  Please, come in.” He waved to her and Hitomi smiled shyly.  The man quickly dismissed the officer’s complaint as the two Japanese girls followed him into the office.

“Please take a seat, Eunbi told me you were coming by.”

“I’m sorry to disturb you while you’re working, Senior Inspector Kwon.”

At the mention of _Kwon_ , Nako silently observed the conversation between her partner and the Senior Inspector in front of them.  The man’s most distinguished features were his sharp, dark eyes and slicked back black hair.  He actually resembled…

“You must be Yabuki Nako.  Eunbi told me a lot about you.  I hope she’s not a handful at home.”

_Kwon Eunbi._

Nako bowed her head rather quickly, “It’s nice to meet you.  Eunbi-unnie actually looks after me, I’m always grateful for her help both at work and in our apartment.”

A low chuckle escaped the man, “Please relax here, Nako, we have a good relationship with the Kwon-Kim Office.” He gestured for her to sit up as he rested his elbows on his desk and leaned forward to get a better look at the two.  Hitomi was visibly relaxed but Nako still tensed under his careful stare.

“Senior Inspector Kwon, Eunbi-unnie mentioned on the phone that you had a… _rumor_ to pass on.”

Even though the word itself was vague, the air stilled as if time stopped. There was something in Senior Inspector Kwon's eyes that darkened at the mention of rumor.  Nako, while still being new at the office, could tell that this could very well be related to this day.

“It has to do with Kim Minjoo.”

He stated firmly, gauging the reaction between the two Japanese girls. Hitomi remained calm, she predicted earlier that it might be related to Minjoo.  Nako also remained silent, tilting her head a little in acknowledgement.  The Senior Inspector leaned back a little, “I know Hitomi is somewhat familiar with the case but how much do you know, Nako?”

Feeling the attention directed at her, Nako swallowed the small lump in her throat before steely her eyes to match the officer in front of her. “Not a lot. I know Minjoo-ssi seemed to be close to my seniors and some other friends.” The image of Yujin snapped in her mind very briefly before she continued, “And that she worked at the office despite being an upcoming actress.”

Hitomi confirmed Nako's knowledge, “I honestly don't know much more than Nako-chan does. Eunbi-unnie refuses to say anything about the case and I… rather not anger Chaewon-unnie.” Her voice hushed at the mention of Chaewon.

The man slowly nodded his head, leaning back in his seat. “That sounds like the two of them. I wish they weren't stubborn, fresh eyes on a deranged case like this always keeps more people safe.” He huffed quietly before glancing at the two again. “Kim Minjoo was no ordinary actress or spirit hunter like Eunbi and Chaewon. She was the daughter of Kim Jinho, a famous politician in our current era. While her murder is a mystery itself, Chaewon has testified that a cult summoning some sort of demonic spirit was behind her death.”

Hitomi and Nako exchanged weary glances, there was a lot more to Minjoo than they thought... Minjoo's words and explanations to Nako started to make more and more sense.  Hitomi slowly raised her hand.

“Has the cult been caught and put to trial for Minjoo-ssi's murder?”

The older man sighed, running a hand through the slicked hair, “No. By the time officers arrived on the scene, they were all gone, including the supposed murder weapon, a dagger.  Minjoo died at the scene.”

The air was tense once more as the details to the death of Kim Minjoo slowly surfaced.  There was enough information to put a very general idea surrounding her death, but not enough to completely understand the intentions and the events that lead up to it.

“Are there any articles or anything about the case that we can read? If we were to investigate this case further, we would need to catch up on at least a year's worth of information…” Nako asked now, certainly with everything they've been discussing so far, this particular open-ended case was going to be reopen.

“None. Politicians are very powerful people. The only relevant material was a brief press conference that Kim Jinho held to confirm his daughter's death and talk down on the cults and the supernatural.  A fantasy that they have brewed which lead to the death of his daughter.”

This made the two Japanese hunters uneasy, they can see and interact with the other world, so it seemed that Kim Jinho would despise their existence if he knew about them. It seemed rather odd that Minjoo was working with the thing that Jinho hated.

“However, we received an anonymous tip. The cult may be returning tonight to summon a harmful spirit again.”

That's why they were called, it was to perform an exorcism.

Nako rubbed her head as the situation settled in. It seemed like something out of a drama, but it was very much real. Dealing with cults, politics, _murder_ … there was a thrill to it but when she thought about the reality of it, where death was involved, it was horrifying.

“Senior Inspector Kwon, I understand that it's important that we close a case from one year ago, but will the police be involved?”

A heavy sigh escaped the officer. “Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee anything because of how tight lip this issue is.  That's why I'm informing you of this under…” His eyes shifted for a brief second before he placed a finger against his lip.

“If you further investigate this, please do not engage with the cult, we don't want a repeat of a year ago.”

Hitomi and Nako exchanged silent agreements as Senior Inspector Kwon stood up. “Thank you for taking the time to come in today. As agreed, please keep this quiet.”

“Of course, Senior Inspector Kwon. Thank you for the information.”

They quickly stood up as well, bowing one last time to the officer. As they were excusing themselves out of the office, the officer called out last time to them.

“Nako! Please take care of my Daughter. As grown up and mature she may be, she tends to forget about herself.”

Nako paused in her steps and turned around.  “ _Pardon?_ ”

Senior Inspector Kwon grinned, “Who else would she get her good looks from?”

She _knew_ it but her jaw still was left agape.

Hitomi laughed at Nako's expression, tugging her Japanese assistant out.

 

* * *

 

“I had a feeling he was her Father, but it still baffles me.”

Nako grumbled as her and Hitomi walked back to the office. After such a heavy conversation, the two stopped briefly for a quick coffee and took it to the office. Eunbi never gave them actual orders to investigate this case, just for them to collect the details from her Father.

Hitomi sipped her smoothie with a grin, “Maybe a sense of Justice and the will to help others runs deep in their family.” She suggested. “He is a kind man; he looks after both Chaewon-unnie and I as if we were his daughters.”

It really looked like it. Nako didn't doubt it even if she only met the man for a short while.

Her mind kept drifting back to the case.

“Are you going to investigate the case?”

Nako softly asked, knowing how sensitive the issue is. She glanced at the other Japanese girl; her lips pressed in a fine line. “I want to… I think if we can close the case, Eunbi-unnie and Chaewon-unnie will finally be able to rest.”

The answer made Nako advert her eyes in contemplation, even though she only knew them for roughly a month, she wanted to help too. She still wanted to help despite being new and how it was none of her business to involve herself in an old problem.

She is about to vocalize her own agreement but paused when Hitomi suddenly halted in her steps, eyes widening and lips slipping off her straw. Nako followed her eyes, falling on the very person who could fill in the missing details to their case.

“Kim… Minjoo….?”

Hitomi squeaked out, her grip on her smoothie loosening and made her frantically scramble as the cup nearly tipped over. The spirit in front of her smiled, bowing politely, “It's finally nice to meet you, Honda Hitomi.”

"Minjoo-ssi… You really have excellent timing…”

Nako said as she took a step closer to the girl who stood in front of them. Minjoo straightened out, “I think it's just a mere coincidence.” She paused for a moment, staring at Nako. “It seems like you have something you want to ask.”

Minjoo briefly took her eyes from her, glancing behind to stare at the run-down building of their office. A wistful smile slowly turned on her face before she gestured for the two of them to follow her.

 

* * *

 

_Even during her break, Minjoo diligently focused on work related to her other job. She sipped her water as she flipped through a couple of pages in her notebook.  The case seemed to stagnate, she couldn't figure out a pattern or a location of where this spirit would appear._

_She furrowed her brow, maybe she'll ask Chaewon on how to develop a sort of lead._

_A soft chime suddenly echoed in her room and she blinked as she picked up her phone to check her messages. There was a message from her client._

**_The ghost has appeared! Please come right away._ **

_Minjoo frowned, this sounded too convenient. She always felt something off with this case but never voiced it to Chaewon or Eunbi, after all she also had to do her share of work at Kwon-Kim Celeb Office. She paused; she wouldn't be finished her shoot for at least another hour, but she didn't want to make her client angry…_

_She quickly pulled up Chaewon's KakaoTalk._

**_Minguri: Unnie, are you busy right now?  
_ ** **_Fairywon: I'm in the office finishing up my paperwork. Is everything okay?_ **

_Minjoo stifled her laugh as she read the name she wrote for Chaewon. It was a slight alteration to the nickname Hyewon-unnie called her. If Chaewon caught her she would probably steal her phone and change it to something else._

**_Minguri: The shoot is going well!  But I received a message from my client that the spirit I'm supposed to exorcise has shown up… it might be the only chance I have…  
_ ** **_Fairywon: I can go perform the exorcism. Give me the address and the work you've done on the case._ **

_At Chaewon's request, she snapped a quick picture of her written notes and sent them along with the address to Chaewon's number._

**_Minguri: You're the best, Unnie. I'll let you know when I finish my shoot here and we can go eat your favorites.  
_ ** **_Fairywon: I hope you're paying._ **

_Minjoo laughed, she supposed she would have to endure a spicy meal and mint chocolate for dessert._

**_Minguri: Anything for my favorite Unnie!_ **

_There was a pause. She can see that Chaewon saw her message._

**_Fairywon: ... Don't let Eunbi-unnie see that, she'll come to appeal with aegyo to win you back._ **

_Peels of laughter escaped her lips, as no-fun Chaewon could be, she was always good at teasing much to the expense of Eunbi-unnie._

**_Minguri: I'm sure hers is better than yours._ **

_She can already see the frown and pout on Chaewon's lips when she read that._

**_Fairywon: Don’t be rude, Kim Minjoo._ **

_A knock came from her door and her manager stuck his head into her room. “Minjoo, we're going to continue the shoot in five minutes.”_

_She nodded her head, gathering her notes and stuffing them into her bag. “I'll be right there!”  She typed up one last reply before slipping it into her bag._

 

* * *

 

_Fortunately for Minjoo, the shoot finished early and without any incident.  By the time she finished changing into some regular, comfortable clothes and freshen up a little, Chaewon should have been finished.  As she re-entered her dressing room and grabbed her phone, she immediately went to check her messages._

**_No new messages._ **

_Maybe Chaewon was just finishing up.  She opened the KakaoTalk conversation again._

**_Minguri: Unnie, I’m finished now!  Is everything going well on your end?  I can meet you at your favorite restaurant by our place._ **

_In case she needed to rush (since Minjoo did like to take her time), she placed her phone down and went about touching up her face and gathering her things to leave.  After finishing that, she checked her phone._

**_No new messages._ **

_She frowned.  It wasn’t like Chaewon to not respond, even in the middle of the case.  She checked the “Kwon-Kim” group chat, the last messages from Eunbi saying she would be away for the night because of “personal reasons”.  Her and Chaewon just gave her a rolling eyes emoji, they both knew who she was seeing._

_She would give Chaewon some time, perhaps she was talking to the client…_

_She once again gathered all her things and left the studio, staring at the top of her phone, waiting for the indicator to turn on and tell her she had a new message.  At the same time, she thought of all sorts of excuses about why Chaewon didn’t respond._

_Once she stepped out of the studio, she opened the KakaoTalk chat impatiently, her eyes blinking when she immediately noticed the small “1” by her message.  Was Chaewon keeping her on “read”?!_

_Her phone suddenly vibrated, Chaewon’s number flashing on the screen.  She took a deep breath, exhaling a sigh of relief before answering and putting the phone against her ear._

_“Unnie, I swear, it’s rude to leave your roommate on ‘read’!”_

_“Kim Minjoo…”_

_Minjoo froze, the voice over the phone wasn’t Chaewon.  In fact, it was the client that requested for her help._

_“... You need to come here right now… You need to…”_

_The client’s voice suddenly cut-off for a moment, there was a thud and some rather harsh movements.  It sounded like there was some shoving in the background._

_“Minjoo, don’t come--!”_

_She nearly dropped her phone.  It was Chaewon yelling in the background._

_“Ch-Chaewon-unnie…?”_

_She heard another voice overlap with Chaewon’s cries in the back and a sudden crash.  Chaewon’s voice disappeared and there was a muffled thump.  Fear enveloped Minjoo’s entire body._

_“You need to exorcise the spirit, as part of our contract.”_

_The line went dead after that.  Minjoo could barely comprehend the one-minute phone call, her body still numb from the chilling words that spoke to her.  She could only hear Chaewon’s shout, warning her not to go in her mind._

_She pulled her phone off her ear and stared at the screen, indicating how long her phone call was with Chaewon’s number.  Her eyes slowly traced the messaging application they used to keep in contact with clients.  While there was no indication of a new message, she opened the conversation, quickly reading the address that she was given earlier._

_If she took a taxi, there she would get there within fifteen minutes baring good traffic._

_Immediately, Minjoo hailed for a taxi, swallowing the growing fear in her throat.  After sitting down and giving the driver a location close to the location she was given, she stared at her phone, at the last conversation she had with Chaewon before she went back to her shoot and Chaewon went to…_

_She brought the phone close to her chest, closing her eyes and let out muted sobs, praying that Chaewon was fine._

 

* * *

 

**_Eunbi-unnie: Minjoo-yah?  What is this address?_ **

**_Eunbi-unnie: Minjoo? Hello?  Kim Minjoo???_ **

**_Missed call._ **

**_Eunbi-unnie: Why are you not answering your phone?  As your boss, friend, and elder, I demand you to answer your phone!_ **

**_Missed call._ **

**_Eunbi-unnie: Why are both you and Chaewon not answering?!_ **

_Minjoo apologized silently to Eunbi.  She had no time to explain everything to her.  She knew that Eunbi would come to the address once she got frustrated enough and she prayed that she won’t chew out her and Chaewon until next year.  She pocketed her phone and stared at the abandoned office building on the outskirts of Seoul.  She was lucky that the studio she was working at was near the suburbs, otherwise it would take her over thirty minutes to get here._

_She took in a deep breath, bringing a hand up and pulling it away as her fingers curled inwards to steeled herself.  She was here to exorcise a spirit and get Chaewon out of here.  After calming her nerves down the best she could, she stepped into the dusty building, eyes darting at each and every corner to look for any signs of life._

_There was nothing, the building truly living up to its “abandoned” name._

_Her phone vibrated and she checked it quickly.  It was a message from the client._

**_The auditorium is further inside._ **

**_Just go straight._ **

_A shiver slid down her spine, they knew she was here.  She proceeded with caution, listening carefully for anything other than her hasty footsteps and short breaths._

_Nothing, still no signs of life._

_After entering a corridor and walking down the darkened hallway for a few more minutes, the room spread out and two double doors stood in front of her.  Above them a small red sign with the words “IN-SESSION” was lit up.  It was the first sign of life she saw._

_She placed her hands against the steel doors, briefly pushing it to test the weight of them.  There was a soft screech but the doors barely budged.  She winced at the sound; they definitely knew she was here._

_Gathering whatever last bits of courage she had left, she pushed the door open with all her might.  It led to loud screeches, but the doors finally moved.  Once she stepped inside, they were pushed shut behind her.  Surprised, she jumped to look behind her, and saw the door was shut by two people garbed in the traditional hanbok.  They bowed their heads deeply to her; she couldn’t even see their faces._

_She spun around, staring at the stage that was set up in front of her.  The stage covered in bamboo mats with lines of fruits and food set up.  It reminded her of shaman rituals that seemed to become the recent craze._

_In the middle of the stage, an older woman sat, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she smoked the pipe she held her in hands._

**_You’re finally here._ **

_The woman puffed out her head staring directly at Minjoo.  Minjoo swallowed the fear that now ran rampant in her throat, bravely taking a step closer to the stage.  “W-Where’s Chaewon-unnie?” She asked, Chaewon’s life was the most important at this very moment._

_The woman did not move, she just continued to smoke.  A couple more people in the traditional hanbok emerged from the side of the stage, tossing Chaewon next to the woman.  There was a loud thud and a groan, Chaewon rolled over onto her back._

_Minjoo nearly broke into tears when she heard a noise from Chaewon.  “Unnie!”_

_“You need to fulfill the wish of the spirit in order to exorcise it.”_

_A voice echoed in the auditorium and Minjoo eyes were frantic, desperately searching for the source. She never heard the soft footsteps that approached her from behind and grabbed her arms and shoulders, locking her in place.  She cried out in surprise, automatically struggling under the tight hold._

_Underneath her struggles and demands, her ears caught the heavy footsteps from her front, the possessed woman approached her. Each step her mind went off, it was like death was approaching her._

**_Do you know what my demand is?_ **

_The voice was rasp and scratchy, almost like a broken tape recorder. Minjoo stared up in fear, flinching under the undead look in the woman's eyes. She clenched her jaw, her body still struggling._

**_The blood of the politician's daughter._ **

_A dagger was brandished from the brightly colored robes and Minjoo could only watch as the blade was held up high.  Even in her possible last minute, her mind couldn't comprehend the exact wording… how did they know she was…_

_A sudden cry came out from behind the possessed and a crash shortly after. Footsteps scurried to them and the woman grunted out suddenly, lurching forward with the sudden weight on her back. Minjoo quickly shoved her body weight to one side to avoid the sharp blade._

_Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar redhead on the possessed woman's back._

_Chaewon!_

_Through the minor distraction, their eyes made contact, Minjoo saw the relief flashing in her dark eyes. She probably expressed the same in her own eyes._

_Her adrenaline kicked in and she kicked one of the dressed men that held her and ripped her shoulder away from the other man's grip, shoving him into the other distracted one. At the same time, Chaewon was finally flipped off the possessed woman's back and landed near her with a soft, rolled thud._

_Minjoo immediately stood next to her as Chaewon staggered up to her feet, breathing heavily. “We need to exorcise it from the woman.” Chaewon muttered to her, rubbing the corner of her lips._

_Minjoo's eyes flickered as she glanced around the area, “Forced extractions are the hardest. We have to sever the tie the spirit has with this world or fulfill its wish.”_

_She felt a hand against her arm, and she stared at Chaewon in surprise._

_“Don’t you dare think about fulfilling that wish.”_

_A small, appreciative smile turned the corner of Minjoo's lips. She was always like this._

_“It's the dagger then. We need to destroy it.”_

_Minjoo quickly suggested as she stared at the blade in the woman's hand. Chaewon nodded in agreement, “I'll distract her then, when you see an opening, grab it and run as fast as you can.”_

_Chaewon dashed forward, leaving Minjoo to observe with cautious eyes.  She checked their surroundings, those who seemed to be serving the woman were starting to come together after the minor distractions. They really had no time, if they helped the spirit, both her and Chaewon would be overpowered._

_She watched Chaewon weave in and out of the possessed woman's line of sight, almost always narrowly avoiding the sharp dagger that swung around. Chaewon was also injured still, so they needed to finish this… Minjoo desperately sought for a quick solution but there was nothing._

_More people sprang forward, now prepared to help the person who seemed to be their leader. Minjoo escaped one grasp, kicking another as they reached out to grab her.  She heard a sharp cry, Chaewon in a heated battle between someone whom she twisted their arm and the possessed woman who was trying to stab her at the same time.  As Chaewon tossed the person, she was suddenly grabbed by the neck, the grip almost crushing her._

_Minjoo panicked.  She couldn't let Chaewon die like this._

_With all the energy she could muster, she sprinted forward as the dagger was about to strike Chaewon. Her hands gripped the woman's wrist and forcefully pulled the arm away from Chaewon._

_She barely heard her name being called over the blood rushing to her ears and her beating heart._

_Chaewon was suddenly released from the woman's grip and that same hand grabbed the collar of Minjoo's hoodie, dragging her close._

**_Never go against the wish of a God._ **

_A burning pain burst in Minjoo's body, her eyes widening in shock as the dagger stabbed right through. She barely heard the cry from below her… Was that Chaewon…?_

_Blood reached her mouth quickly, lungs desperate to empty the blood that was entering.  She coughed out, blood sweeping out from her mouth. Her shaking hands came up as the dagger clang against the floor and she pushed herself away, blood splattered against the robes of the woman._

_“This… is what you wanted, isn't it?”_

_She wheezed out, everything starting to blur for her now. She could barely see or hear anything as her body collapsed._

_Her vision was rapidly blackening, and she started to feel tired… It felt like everything around her was making noise, but she couldn't distinguish the sounds._

_She felt something against her body, something warm and hard…. But yet soft.  She blinked a few times to try and focus on what it was, but darkness continued to sweep in._

_Minjoo stared upwards, despite the darkness, it felt like someone heavenly was watching her. The blinding lights framing her reddish hair._

_Chaewon? Was it her?_

_She couldn't help but smile. It probably was, she was her favorite Unnie after all.  They promised to always be there for each other…_

_She knew Chaewon would get angry for sleeping, but she just needed a quick moment…_

_A soft apology escaped her lips and she closed her eyes to let the darkness overcome her._

 

* * *

 

Silence settled between the three girls (or well, two and a spirit) on the bench as Minjoo finished retelling her story. Hitomi covered her face with her hands, most likely trying to hide her tears and Nako glanced awkwardly at the ground.

It reminded her of something she hid away in the depths of her mind.

Nako eventually spoke up first, “Minjoo-ssi, I…”

“Minjoo is fine.” Minjoo quickly interrupted, smiling softly at her. “We're all the same age so I would like to drop formalities.” She pointed to each of them and Nako slowly nodded.

“I'm sorry for burdening you two with this.”

Minjoo continued, the smile on her face looked painful.  “It should have never ended like that.”

“You don't need to be sorry.”

Hitomi suddenly spoke, a slight crack to her voice as she wiped away her tears. Her hand slowly came down, landing on Minjoo's ghostly one. “Thank you for always taking care of Chaewon-unnie and Eunbi-unnie…”

“I'm thankful that the both of you can look after them now too.”

Minjoo spared the two Japanese girls a smile.  Hitomi and Nako agreed silently.

“It's a lot to tell us and we're both very thankful you could.” Nako reinforced, a small smile lifting at the corner of her lips. “We'll do everything we can so you can finally rest easily.”

An arm wrapped around both Nako and Hitomi, bringing them close as Minjoo held them tightly in a silent thanks. To the normal onlooker, it was strange as Hitomi and Nako are not even close to each other but luckily there was no one to see the touching moment between the hunters and spirit.

 

* * *

 

With better insight and knowledge on the events surrounding Minjoo's case, Nako and Hitomi felt they could help with the case. They knew that Eunbi would never let them touch it, but it was something they wanted to do rather than it was a client request. It became more personal.

They both knew that they had to pursue the tip that Senior Inspector Kwon gave them, but they needed some background information first. Minjoo said she would help them as much as she could but would not meet them at the office until much later. Nako idly thought she must have been staying away for a reason.

As they approached their run-down building, Chaewon stepped out of it, dressed in her usual black, leather jacket. Their eyes met.

Nako immediately noticed something different in Chaewon's eyes. They were frigid, emotion masked away.

Chaewon said nothing, barely acknowledging even Hitomi as she walked by.

“You were the one who went to the police station earlier, weren't you?”

Hitomi suddenly asked as Chaewon trudged by them. Chaewon stopped in her tracks as Hitomi turned around to face her back. “Eunbi-unnie knew that if you found out about this specific rumor, you would chase after it.”

“And?”

Chaewon's voice chilled Nako's very being. She frowned; she shouldn't be talking down on Hii-chan like that.

“Chaewon-unnie…” Hitomi's voice wavered as she stared at her normally strong and kind senior... “You know it's dangerous to follow this type of group on your own.  We're your partners, friends, we're supposed to help you…”

“Hitomi.”

Chaewon's voice cut sharply in. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes sharp and narrowed. “The both of you should stay out of Minjoo's case.  It’s for your own good.”

She walked away, not bothering to listen to their protests anymore. Nako couldn't bear to look at the crushed look on Hitomi's face.  She tore her eyes away, falling onto the shadows of the buildings nearby and caught something hiding in them.  Her lips pressed in a fine line when she recognized the redhead spirit that they were talking to just moments before.

Minjoo bowed to her, mouthing _I'm sorry,_ before she followed after Chaewon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ hello and thank you for reading part 1 of Ghost Story 04! 
> 
> normally each chapter i treat like a show where each episode is it's own story but they still take place within the same universe but sequentially, however due to the length of this chapter i decided to split it up into two parts (because even i also get sleepy reading such long chapters!). you can also tell there was a lot of tension in this chapter so i thought it would be good to leave it at a spot so the reader can take a breather. 
> 
> before i spill all my thoughts and feelings into a long note, thank you for all the comments and kudos! i've noticed people are enjoying the plot and how it revolves around nako and hitomi. i'm afraid i don't do their characters enough justice but i try my best! i'm so soft for both of them as much as i'm tsundere to nako ( :^)... ). So thank you once again, I'm appreciative of all the love you give to the story.
> 
> gosh where do i begin.
> 
> this episode of the story is probably the only real serious plot i came up with. the others were more like light-hearted episodic ones but when i first developed the plot-line, i thought about something more "darker" if i had to put it in words and it ended up involving someone having to die. i ended up using minjoo because i wanted to use chaewon as part of this plot and her and minjoo have a really nice chemistry (next to hitomi and eunbi, but the both of them were already main characters). i don't think anything will get as serious as this, but you never know down the line :^)... 
> 
> i have to say though, writing the last part with the coldness between hitomi and chaewon... they have been sweet to each other this entire time but i got really curious on how it would be if tensions raised. as i wrote more and more, i started to feel a bit guilty, but chaewon is just a big ol' softie at the end of the day.
> 
> i hope you have enjoyed everything up to this point. part 2 should be pushed out in a shorter time frame, but i started writing something else at the same time as this so my attention might be shared between two different documents this time... regardless of that, thank you once again for reading, commenting, and the kudos! please keep sending me your thoughts! i guess i didn't hide the fact minjoo was a ghost very well LOL (what can i say, i sometimes write things in a certain way for future purposes?).
> 
> until next chapter!


	5. Ghost Story 04 (Part 2): Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When everything comes together, doubt and fear runs through both Nako and Hitomi. But sometimes you just need trust and everything will turn out fine.
> 
> Pairs: nako/hitomi, minjoo/chaewon

Probably if Hitomi could, Nako figured she would have flipped over her desk by now. Shortly after their exchange with Chaewon, the two went back to the office in silence. Nako thought Hitomi would be sulking at the reaction from her (protective) senior, but it was quite the opposite, she was _angry_.

At least this anger was directed to the case and Hitomi was using the energy that boiled from it to look for anything related to Kim Minjoo's unfinished case, even if it meant running a tornado through her always neat, tidy, and organized desk.

Nako glanced up from her laptop screen, she evacuated to the lounge to avoid the Honda Tornado that tore through the desk.  It was great that she was pushing herself to help but she could do it with less paper throwing and file flying…

“Did Chaewon-unnie and Eunbi-unnie really throw Minjoo's things into the Han River?!”

Hitomi huffed loudly. There was absolutely nothing. “Nako-chan, did you find anything on your end?”

Nako scratched her head, it didn't seem like Minjoo used the laptop a year ago. “Nothing that I can see. Who used the laptop before it was passed onto me?”

“Chaewon-unnie and I primarily used it. Eunbi-unnie is bad with computers so she uses a tablet instead to check her emails and our reports without breaking the system.”

Nako grinned whimsically at that. Eunbi really was like the technological inept Mother of their little family. She continued her search in the various of folders and files, eventually coming across a “users” folder, with four folders inside: “Kwon Eunbi”, “Chaewon”, “Hiichan”, and “Nako”.

She realized they were their personal files they saved directly to their own account. She clicked on Chaewon's, finding herself at a lock screen and the computer asking for a password.

She glanced up at Hitomi again.

“If Chaewon-ssi would lock something with a password, what would her password be?”

“Mintchocoten. The ten in numerals”

Hitomi's answer was quick as she was putting her things in order again. She looked up at Nako, who stared at her in shock. “What? Chaewon-unnie isn't the most imaginative person either.”

She had a point, but Nako didn't know Chaewon that well. She typed “Mintchoco10” into the area and was allowed access to the files inside. Perfect, she just had to make sure she didn't do anything that Chaewon would be able to notice someone tampered with her files.

Fortunately for her, Chaewon labeled _everything_. Her files were meticulous arranged and labeled specifically. She had her cases sorted into folders labeled with the month and year. When she clicked into the folder dated the current month but a year ago, there was another folder with no name among the sea of other files. She scanned the other files, they seemed to be cases taken after.

She was impressed at the sheer number of them and started to wonder if Chaewon drowned herself in work to forget about that day…

The no name folder caught her eye, but she realized that it was locked. Of course, she would lock it if she didn't want any outside interference.

Nako typed in “Mintchoco10” again but was immediately rejected. She frowned and called out to Hitomi again, “Do you have any new ideas for a password from our mint chocolate loving senior?”

Hitomi arched a brow, “Another? Have you tried anything related to Minjoo?”

Nako scratched her head and started typing in anything she could think of related to Minjoo…

 _Minjoo…_ _KimMinjoo…_ _2Kim…_

Each attempt was met with rejection and she paused. Nako didn't want to try so many times in case the system would lock her out completely. She glanced at Hitomi helplessly, out of ideas.

Hitomi flopped down on her chair, sipping her mostly finished smoothie from earlier. “Asking Chaewon-unnie is out of the question… But you could try Eunbi-unnie.” She suggested and leaned forward to sift through some old articles and papers in hopes to find something remotely helpful.  Nako glanced at her phone, Eunbi knew Chaewon the longest out of all of them, so there’s an off chance she knew.  However, Eunbi was a smart woman, she probably could put it together that Nako was trying to pry into Minjoo’s case…

She grabbed her phone after her internal debate.  She would have to give it a try.

She pulled up Eunbi's name in her contacts and let the phone dial her number. It took three rings before the phone picked up.

_“Hello? Nako?”_

Nako stood up from her seat in the lounge, moving a bit to distract herself. “Eunbi-unnie, sorry to call you without any warning. Do you have a minute?”

_“Ah yes. Give me a second.”_

She heard some shuffling and Eunbi's voice suddenly muffled, it sounded like she was talking to someone else. Nako couldn't differentiate her words.

_“What did you need?”_

_The password to Chaewon's file folder that she left blank_  was what she wanted to say but instead “I uh… Didn't know your Father was a police officer.”

_Good job Nako, she would never suspect anything from that._

She heard Eunbi softly giggle, _“It never crossed my mind to tell you. I'm sure you found out through some lame Dad joke he made.”_

Nako couldn't resist poking fun at her senior, she made it too easy. “I see where yours comes from.”

_“Yah, Yabuki Nako, I'm still your boss.”_

The threat felt meaningless after Eunbi made the same threat previously when they were at Chaeyeon's house and no one listened to her. Nako grinned, “I wanted to ask you about the information he gave us.”

_“What did he say to you? He refused to tell me over messages because it would leave a record and I couldn't meet with him today.”_

The Japanese girl paused for a moment, trying to form the proper words to say in her head. Not even thinking about language barriers, how was she supposed to explain this?

“It was a tip related to an old case.”

_“Which case?”_

Nako's eyes moved to Hitomi, who looked up and stared at her with a grim look. Hitomi could sense that Nako was at a crossroad and didn't know which side to cross. She softly said, “Just tell her.” in Japanese, “She probably figured it out.”

At the suggestion, Nako deeply inhaled, turning her back. “The case from one year ago, about the murder of Kim Minjoo.”

There was silence on the other side, Nako could only imagine the maybe frozen look on Eunbi's face, or maybe she also hid her emotion like Chaewon. She heard a sharp exhale.

_“Was the rumor about the group coming back?”_

Nako swallowed, “Yes.”

The other line went silent again. Bravely, Nako decided to push forward.

“Tonight. It's predicted it would be tonight.”

_“Does Chaewon know?”_

Nako glanced out the window, staring in the direction they last saw the redhead, “Yeah, she does…”

Eunbi said something on the other line, it sounded like a curse but Nako didn't know for sure. _“Thank you, Nako. After you and Hii-chan finish at the office tonight, go home and get some rest--”_

“Unnie, Hii-chan and I want to help.”

She suddenly cut her off.

_“Absolutely not. Nako, this has nothing to do with you two.”_

“But it does, it's a case that belongs to the office.”

She could sense the growing emotion in Eunbi's voice, and she felt herself almost respond to it but took a deep breath.  She needed to stay calm and weave her words correctly to get the password.

_“It belongs to Minjoo but because she passed away it falls under the responsibility of her Boss.”_

“Then you're willing to put yourself in danger instead of relying on others?”

Silence settled again, Nako turned around to lean against the window. When her eyes met with Hitomi's, the latter stood up from her seat and approached Nako quietly. Concern reflected in her eyes and Nako held the phone up so they could both hear.

 _“It's… Not like that.”_ there's a soft creak, Eunbi was moving. _“I… I can't even think about that.”_

The two Japanese exchanged glances again, they both heard Eunbi's voice waver.

“Unnie.”

Hitomi spoke out this time as Nako leaned the phone upwards to her. “You probably knew that the rumor would relate to Minjoo's case. Why else would the police be involved?” She said, nodding at Nako.

“You wanted us to receive the information so we could help Chaewon-unnie… to help the both of you.” Hitomi paused as she let the words sink in. “After all, if it's anyone who can help the both of you, it's Nako-chan and I, isn't it?”

Nako noticed the way Hitomi phrased her words and the way it evoked a powerful emotion in Eunbi. They could hear very soft sobs and hiccups.

_“Hitomi… Nako… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry for being a coward…”_

They let Eunbi cry out the feelings that haunted her for the past year, smiling in relief that this might help Eunbi move on.  Nako glanced over Hitomi's shoulder when she noticed something step into their office.  Minjoo blinked at the two of them by the window, raising an eyebrow.

Nako flushed, shaking her head rapidly and held up her phone to show the spirit they were on a call.  Hitomi blinked and glanced backwards, also noticing the spirit. She stepped away from Nako quickly. Minjoo shrugged her shoulders with a small smile, her eyes full of mirth.

“It's okay, Eunbi-unnie. Minjoo is our friend too.”

 

…

 

_0205_

Nako entered the four numbers into the prompt, Hitomi on one side of her and Minjoo on the other, the three pairs of eyes staring intently at the screen. As soon as Nako hit enter, the folder opened, revealing many files.  Nako and Hitomi sighed in relief, finally some progress.

“I'm surprised Chaewon-unnie used my birthday as the password.”

Minjoo chimed as Nako started to open the files. She soon passed the laptop to Hitomi who took it to her desk to quickly read the files and note the important information. “She still misses you.” Nako said softly, smiling a little at the spirit next to her. Minjoo had a small, yet painful smile as well.  Chaewon wasn’t the only one.

“Have you been following Chaewon-ssi this entire time?” Nako asked as they were waiting patiently for Hitomi to finish. Minjoo glanced away bashfully, looking as if she got caught stealing a cookie. “Not the entire time, but I do stick to Chaewon quite a bit. She's…” The words died on her lips, unable to finish her sentence.

Nako can tell Minjoo cared for her, even in her afterlife she was watching out for Chaewon. It reminded her of a Guardian Angel of some sort.

“Minjoo, there’s something I’ve always been wondering…” Hitomi came back to the lounge, handing Nako her notebook and the laptop.  Nako started to read the notes, occasionally checking the information on the laptop while Hitomi sat across from Minjoo and Nako.  “I started working here shortly after you passed away and it seems like you have been here for a while but… Why have I never saw you?  Or why couldn’t Eunbi-unnie or Chaewon-unnie sense you?”

Minjoo hummed quietly next to Nako, tapping her chin as she thought about her answer to the question.  “The subject itself is a constant debate between those who study the spiritual world, but it is tied to our emotions.” She started to explain, remembering everything she learned from her academic life.  “It's related to how much you grieve. The more grief you're in, no matter how much time has passed, the harder it is to see or sense the spirit that passed away.”

“That means Chaewon-unnie and Eunbi-unnie…”

Minjoo nodded with a forlorn smile, “Right. It's hard for them to sense me because they're still in overwhelming pain from my death one year ago.”

“Then we need to take the first step tonight to help them move on.”

Nako suggested as she placed the laptop and notebook down, pointing out a specific part she had open on the laptop. “Chaewon-ssi has been meticulously tracking this group for a long time. Even going to Japan to follow a rumor about one of them fleeing to Japan…”

That explained why Chaewon was at the airport when Nako left for Korea...

“Tonight, seems that she will try to end everything.”

At the prediction, the room felt like it chilled, knowing the potential danger Chaewon involved herself in. She glanced out the window, the sun already stretching downwards.

“Let's get ready to go.” Hitomi said as she stood up from her seat, “We don't have much time left and Chaewon-unnie already has a long lead ahead of us.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Are you worried?”

It seemed like a rhetorical question with the heavy silence that sat between Nako and Hitomi in the taxi and the way that Hitomi anxiously stared at her phone.  She tried to contact Chaewon to know her whereabouts but received nothing, so it was _almost_ a guarantee that the place they were heading was where they would most likely find her.  Nako wanted to open a conversation between her and Hitomi, if they kept silent the entire ride it could potentially affect how they work together in the situation they were throwing themselves into.

Hitomi glanced at her for the first time since they set into the car, “Just a little.”

“Eunbi-unnie complains that Chaewon-ssi is a stubborn bull all the time, she won’t go down that easily.” She tried to cheer her up with a small smile, “Besides, Minjoo said she will make sure Chaewon-ssi is safe.  She seems like a reliable spirit.” Nako couldn’t help but stifle her laughter as she mentioned Minjoo as she thought about the irony of the situation--a ghost hunter and a ghost working _together_.  It felt like something out of a drama…

“It’s not just Chaewon-unnie… I’m just a bit worried at _everything_.” Hitomi’s eyes fell downward, playing with the edge of her phone now.  “After listening to Minjoo’s story and thinking about everything… I realized how much Chaewon-unnie and Eunbi-unnie did everything to protect me so the same situation could be avoided.” Her fingers slowly curled against the screen, tensing.

“Now we’re throwing ourselves into the heart of danger... “Her voice quieted, “What happens if everything they did goes to waste?  Or if something happens and I won’t be able to stop it?”

Nako’s eyes goes wayward, staring out at the tinted windows of their taxi.  The worries Hitomi faced were very valid, anyone in her situation would have similar thoughts.  You could even relate to her thoughts in a similar (maybe not so life or death) situation…

“Have more faith in yourself, Hii-chan.”

Nako spoke up finally, her eyes drifting towards the other Japanese girl, with a more comforting smile.  She reached out, her hand slowly covering Hitomi’s tense hands on her phone.  “Eunbi-unnie and Chaewon-ssi prepared you for this.  Eunbi-unnie trusts you, she trusts us to help Chaewon-ssi.” She squeezed her hands.

The grip on Hitomi’s phone loosened, the fingers entwined with Nako’s shyly.  “She trusts us… And I’m sure Chaewon-unnie does too.  I think she’s warming up to you.”

The shorter Japanese girl laughed a little, she honestly couldn’t tell if Chaewon and her were really getting along better, her interactions with Chaewon mostly revolved around getting her morning coffee and mint chocolate ice cream, but if it’s anyone who knew her, it would be Hitomi.  “Then we won’t let them down.  We even have a Guardian Angel with us.”

An eyebrow raised, before realization dawned on her.  “Minjoo really looks like an angel!  Maybe she’s the Kwon-Kim Celeb Office’s Guardian Angel…” They giggle together, a much lighter atmosphere settled now as the taxi came to a stop.  Their hands pull apart and they prepare themselves to leave.

 

* * *

 

 

Hitomi formulated a plan for their upcoming situation.

The goal was to exorcise the spirit and the way to do it was through destroying or cleansing the tie it has to the world. They took the situation as the same spirit that possessed the woman and ultimately took Minjoo's life, so that meant its tie to this world would be the dagger. Nako's role was to get the dagger and perform the exorcism while Hitomi would handle with the spirit or anything else at the time.

Nako pulled the straps of the backpack (that was pretty much her size), feeling the objects inside press against her small back. She's cleansed and destroyed objects before to exorcise spirits but this one made her nervous. Because metal could not be destroyed through simple means, the solution was to cover it with a cloth, douse it in holy water, and then burn it. It sounded easy but the spirit they were exorcising was constantly on her mind.  

Hitomi suddenly stopped as the small corridor came to a stop. “We're here…” She whispered quietly, looking up at the steel doors and the red “IN-SESSION” sign shining brightly on top. She placed a hand against the steel doors, glancing back at Nako. “Are you ready, Nako-chan?”

Nako's eyes were drawn to the “IN-SESSION” sign. She remained silent, the sign opening a memory she thought she locked away.

 

_There are frightful screams around her, Sasshi was barking orders as managers panicked and people pulled up their phones immediately to call for someone. She can hear crying coming from the younger members as the older members tried to gather everyone around to leave as soon as possible but no one would budge. Sakura tried to pull her back._

_All Nako could see was red._

 

“Nako-chan?”

There's a soft squeeze against her shoulder and she suddenly was pulled back to the current time. She met Hitomi's eyes with a blank stare. Hitomi tilted her head, “Is everything okay?” she asked gently, realizing her partner didn't say a word.

Nako swallowed the hard lump that formed in her throat, that was something she never wanted to experience again. “I'm…”

Hitomi's hand drifted down, entwining with hers and squeezing it gently. “Trust yourself. You've done these many times before and you can do it again.” Her eyes darted to the door; it was obvious how nervous Hitomi was getting. “I'll do everything to make sure you're safe.”

Nako nodded silently, pushing away her stray thoughts, there was something much more important.  She squeezed Hitomi's hand one last time before pulling away. Hitomi laid both of her hands against the door after and pushed with all her might.

As they quickly entered the auditorium, they bolted behind some of the seats as a couple of people in hanboks scrambled out, screaming about something _crazy_ happening. They sensed something awry as well and immediately peered over the seats to see what was going on.

The stage looked like it was set up once again for a shaman ritual that Minjoo had described before, but everything was in _ruins._ Instead of fruits, meat and vegetables lined up nicely, the set was destroyed as if a wind tore right through it, leaving broken wood and scattered food along the stage. Some people in hanboks were slumped on the ground, it was hard to tell if they were alive or not. In the middle, a woman in bright, colorful robes was crouched over, quivering.

However, their attention was immediately drawn to the front of the stage.

Chaewon, as they predicted, was there, on the ground half-sitting up painfully. However, her eyes trembled at the sight just in front of her, a tall ghostly woman, marred in scars with blood shot eyes towered above her. It seemed she was just about to attack Chaewon again, but someone was struggling to pull her away.  Chaewon's eyes only stared at that someone, widened and shaking.

“She can see Minjoo, this isn't good.”

Hitomi quickly muttered as she assessed the situation. Nako blinked, staring at Hitomi in shock, “What? I thought Chaewon-ssi couldn't see ghosts?”

“It's a trade-off. Chaewon-unnie has exceptional senses if she's calm and collected but if she's emotional and irrational… She loses her senses but is able to see spirits.” She quickly explained, her voice almost going a tone up. Hitomi was becoming increasingly worried.

Nako frowned, as one dark thought crossed her mind. It was like seeing what killed you before dying.

“Chaewon-unnie stays calm when I'm around but… Today is a tough day.”

She couldn't agree more. Nako's eyes darted around the auditorium, seeing if there was anything else to worry about. She noticed an emergency exit near the stage, that might be worth remembering.  It seemed like everyone was too immersed in the battle of the two spirits, their voices of curses and cries falling onto Nako and Hitomi, but to everyone else, it was just streaks of wind pushing forcefully around.

It was like the situation with Sungmin, when the spirit of Eunchae was viciously attacking everything in the office.

Nako spotted something at the middle of the stage, a bundle just lying near the quivering woman. That must be the dagger.

“Hii-chan, I need to get to the stage.”

She pointed out quickly, tugging on the Japanese's arm. “I'll have to take the exit out first and then perform the exorcism.”

Hitomi glanced at the two points Nako was pointing out to her and swiftly agreed. “I'll help Minjoo. We should be able to handle the ghost and give you enough time to finish.” She stood up as Minjoo's and the spirit’s voices picked up in intensity, leading to some people being pushed away, covering their ears in fright.

Chaewon flinched as well, barely avoiding the hand that tried to reach out and strangle her. Minjoo momentarily lost her grip, almost being flung off the ghost.

Hitomi dashed down the aisle, putting herself between Chaewon and the ghost now as she called out to Minjoo.

Nako watched with observant eyes, crawling her way to the stage inch by inch. She could hear painful cries coming from Chaewon, begging them to stop. It's the first time Nako witnessed Chaewon being so emotional.  She got to the side of the stage without being notice (being small pays off) and tossed her bag up before she hauled herself up.

So far so good.

As soon as she was on the now dented wooden floors, she grabbed her bag and made a dash for the bundle. She picked it up with ease and pushed the cloth to the side to confirm it was the dagger used one year ago. The blade reflected off the bright stage lights, specks of dull red covered the hilt all the way to the tip. Nako felt sick carrying the weapon that killed Minjoo but knew it was necessary.

She wrapped the cloth back around and was about to make her exit when her wrist was suddenly grabbed and lurched her forward. The Japanese girl cried out and forced herself back.

The quivering woman in the bright robes stared at her. Her eyes trained on Nako like a hungry wolf. “G-give me the dagger… I-I need to… I need to kill _her_ with it… I need to set this spirit free….”

She didn't miss how her eyes went over to Chaewon at the mention of _her_ and Nako immediately forced her away.

“Nako!”

She turned around to the front of the stage and screamed as the scarred spirit was now above her.

_Don't touch what's not yours._

Hands immediately shot out to strangle her and she rolled painfully into the wooden boards to dodge them. She must have heard Nako when she was grabbed earlier.  Nako quickly saw Hitomi on the ground, holding her cheek painfully.

Panic set into the short Japanese girl. She needed to cleanse the dagger in her hands before anyone was killed.  Her eyes fell back to the spirit as she slowly approached her.  Nako scrambled backwards, until her hands couldn't move off anymore--she was at the end of the stage.

There was one place she could run to, but the ghost attacked first.  Nako held up the bundle fruitlessly but blinked when the ghost grunted and growled as she was suddenly restrained by a pair of struggling arms from behind.

A pair of dark eyes stared at her. “Nako, hurry up and go. You have a job to do!”

Chaewon struggled with the spirit but held her ground, “I trust you.”

 _Trust_.

Nako darted up, and without another word, she leapt off the stage and left through the emergency exit she spotted earlier.

 

 

* * *

 

After bursting out from the exit into the main building once again, Nako stumbled onto the ground, shrugging the backpack off and laid the dagger out. The voices, cries, curses and everything that she heard minutes ago was gone, replaced with an eerily silence.

She unzipped her bag quickly, pulling out a purple cloth, a blue glass bottle, two blue candles, and a box of matches. She knew the process, but her mind was trying to force her to do it in five times the speed, desperate to finish the exorcism. Her hands shook making it frustratingly hard to set everything up quickly.

She unraveled the dagger from the dirty cloth and wrapped it into the purple one, setting it down in between the two candles she set apart. Her breath was quick and shallow, her palms sweating as if she was in a sauna. She reached for the match box and fumbled for a single match.  After finally gripping tightly, she flicked the stick against the side and lit the two candles.

It was all coming to a quick end. She just had to douse the cloth and dagger in holy water and set it on fire. She reached for the blue bottle and pulled open the top. She stared at the bundle in front, and then it suddenly hit her.

If she went through with this and exorcised the spirit, then wouldn't that mean Minjoo was also gone from this world?

That single thought stopped all motor movements.

Even though they've known each other only for a short time, Minjoo was like a mentor to her. In times where she couldn't approach anyone at the office or when she needed to know something about her two seniors, Minjoo was able to tell her. Minjoo also listened to her questions and concerns about the other world, giving her advice when she needed it or just listened silently. Little did she know that the spirit made a bigger impact on her new life than she realized.

And now she's a mere second away from ripping her away.

She stared at the dagger in fear, could she actually do it? Could she actually destroy Minjoo?

Nako’s hand shook violently as she tipped the bottle to pour the liquid onto the bundle in front of her.  She was _scared,_ would it be selfish if she didn’t go through with it?  If she could think of a new solution that didn’t involve destroying this tie that also destroyed another spirit in the process?

_“Trust yourself. You've done these many times before and you can do it again. I'll do everything to make sure you're safe.”_

_“You have a job to do! I trust you.”_

Images of Hitomi and Chaewon flashed in her mind and she knew what she had to do.

The blue bottle tipped all the way over and water doused the cloth and the dagger wrapped tightly in it.  It was tossed away after and Nako grabbed another match from the match box and snapped it against the side.  She took a deep breath and tossed it into the bundle.  A fire erupted and Nako shifted backwards and clapped her hands together.  She silently prayed and sent final words to the ghost that she was exorcising.

The eerily silence she sat in for the past while continued apart from the crackling fire in front of her.  Her breathing was slowing down and her shoulders slumping.

It was over, Nako could finally relax.

She opened her eyes when the crackling sound ceased, and she stared at the bundle.  Only the edges of the cloth were frayed and blackened by the fire, otherwise it was still intact.  However, when she reached out to touch the cloth, it was completely dry, as if there was no water in the first place.  The process from what she heard was that the holy water absorbed the “negative energy” from the object and then setting it on fire would vaporize the water away.  If done correctly, the cloth would be still intact but no signs of it being damp before.

Unraveling the dagger, it too was dry, the blade gleaming in the dull light of the main lobby.  

“It looks fine.”

A voice suddenly called out and she fumbled with putting the dagger down before frantically searching for the source of the voice.  Her eyes fell upon the familiar black streak of hair that was approaching her from the entrance.

“Eunbi-unnie…”

Eunbi smiled as she knelt on the ground to be with Nako.  She held her arms open and Nako slowly fell into her embrace, clutching onto her.

“It looks like your purification went through.  Minjoo would be able to tell you for sure if she was here.”

At the mention of Minjoo’s name, Nako felt tears welled up in her eyes as she buried herself in Eunbi’s shoulder.  Her body shook a little, remembering that the murderous spirit wasn’t the only one that passed on.

Or well, so she thought.

_“Nako?!  Are you alright--”_

A familiar voice called out and Nako almost thought her mind was playing tricks until Eunbi suddenly shoved her behind her.  She yelped in surprise, her eyes snapping open as she stared up at what Eunbi was protecting her from.

Kim Minjoo stood at the emergency exit entrance, breathing heavily as if she ran a marathon, as if she was _alive_.

_“I went ahead of Hii-chan and Chaewon-unnie and--”_

Minjoo’s voice came to a sudden halt when she discovered that Nako wasn’t alone.  Eunbi’s sharp eyes stared at her.

“Why is there a non-hostile spirit here?”

Eunbi muttered, her eyes narrowing a little at the spirit that suddenly appeared at one of the exits.  She was on guard, knowing that it was possible for even peaceful spirits to turn hostile in a mere blink of an eye.  Nako couldn’t believe her eyes, Minjoo was still here.

_“Eunbi-unnie…”_

Minjoo whispered, her eyes widening when she realized that Eunbi could sense her.

“It’s okay, Eunbi-unnie.” Nako tugged at the Korean woman’s hand, “It’s just Minjoo.”

Eunbi’s stature immediately froze at the name.  She stepped forward hesitantly, reaching out to where she could sense the peaceful spirit.  “Minjoo…?” She called out weakly, her hand shaking as it stretched out towards Minjoo.

Minjoo stared in shock as Eunbi tried to reach out for her.  It was the first time in one whole year since they were able to make contact.

Her eyes gleamed with emotion.

“She says stop standing there and crying, Unnie.”

Nako suddenly said with a playful grin and Minjoo glared at Nako, she hadn’t mentioned anything.  Eunbi stumbled forward finally, her arms awkwardly wrapping around the air, but to Nako’s eyes, they perfectly fit around Minjoo.  “Y-Yah, that’s the first thing you say to your elder, your friend, your _boss_ , after one year?!” Her body wracked with sobs, overwhelming emotion from a one-year burden released once more.  “Y-You hang out with Chaewon way too much…”

Minjoo’s jaw dropped a little, obviously a bit annoyed she was being framed, but surprised at how much Eunbi could sense her.  It melted away quickly as the words made her emotional as well and her arms wrapped around Eunbi to try and comfort her.

_“I’m sorry Unnie.  It’s been a long year of not being able to be with you and Chaewon-unnie.”_

Even without being able to hear Minjoo’s words, Nako thought Eunbi could feel it as it seemed that the older woman started to cry even harder.  She brought up a hand to her own eyes, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall at the emotional moment.

She heard a pair of footsteps approach her from behind and soon felt hands wrap around her arm and another placed right at the top of her head.  She looked from side to side, Hitomi was smiling sweetly and Chaewon had a small grin.

“Good job, Nako.  I knew you could do it.”

“I’m glad your safe, Nako-chan.”

Nako returned a smile to the both of them, her fingers lacing with Hitomi’s when she reached down, “Thank you for believing in me, even though you both risked your lives.”

Their eyes went over to their emotional boss and the equally emotional spirit just ahead of them.  Chaewon pulled away from Nako first and approached the two quietly, her eyes trained on both Eunbi and Minjoo.  She tapped on Eunbi’s shoulder gently and Eunbi turned around.  Slowly, Eunbi clung to Chaewon, her head digging into the redhead’s shoulder.

Minjoo wiped her cheeks, smiling at Eunbi and Chaewon.  She blinked when Chaewon’s lips moved up and down.

_I know you’re there._

Chaewon’s eyes were trained on her, but Minjoo knew she couldn’t see her.

_I can’t believe you made Eunbi-unnie cry.  You know she’s a cry baby when she’s emotional._

Minjoo snorted a little, _“I’m pretty sure you cry as much as she does.”_

Chaewon chuckled as she moved her hand gently up and down Eunbi’s back to comfort her.

_I miss you._

Minjoo stepped forward, resting her head against Chaewon’s shoulder that wasn’t being covered in tears.  She put an arm around her shoulder and the other resting on top of Chaewon’s that was wrapped around Eunbi.

_“I miss you too.”_

Chaewon’s head tilted a little, resting against Minjoo’s as she shut her eyes to feel _everything_ in this moment that she may never be able to experience again.

 

* * *

 

Nako and Hitomi stepped away from the main lobby, deciding it was better to give them a moment without the two juniors reminding them that they need to leave.  They both stood outside, feeling the nightly breeze brush against their skins.  It wasn’t a chilling cold like most nightly winds, but refreshing and cool to calm their rather emotional night.

They slumped against an old wooden bench by the entrance, exhaustion finally hitting the both of them as their adrenaline died down.

“You know… I almost didn’t do it.”

Nako confessed quietly as she stared at the darken pavement underneath her feet.  “Just as I was about to finish the preparations, I thought about Minjoo.  That if I purified the dagger, she would disappear too.”

There’s a soft hum next to her, Hitomi shuffled a little bit closer.  “And what happened?”

“I... I thought about you and Chaewon.”

She unconsciously dropped formalities with Chaewon.

“You two put so much trust in me.  Minjoo and Eunbi-unnie too… I couldn’t go back on any of that.” Her voice wavered a little as she briefly pressed her lips in a fine line, “Trust was so hard for me to believe in when I lived in Japan, when you could be backstabbed at any moment and then…”

She stopped herself from unraveling completely.  The scenes from earlier jabbed at her memories that she stored away, tearing down walls that worked so hard to build.  A soft hand gently laid against hers, Hitomi tried to silently comfort her.

“You can lose someone’s trust in an instant, but it takes time to regain back.”

Hitomi mumbled quietly, her thumb gently rubbing against Nako’s hand.  “Just take it easy, Nako-chan.  We’re all here to help you.”  She glanced down at her, giving her the warmest smile, she could muster.  “You can trust me.”

Their hands entwined for nth time that night.  Nako couldn’t help but relish in the warmth.

“... I do. I trust all of you.”

They exchanged bright smiles, as everything felt like it came to a fitting end.

But, Nako being the observant person she was, noticed something on Hitomi’s cheek.  Normally she would be worried, but a grin played on her lips.

“Is that a _bruise_ I see forming?”

She leaned forward teasingly, bringing her hand up to touch it.  Hitomi froze and pushed her away with a frown, “Don’t you dare tease me about it!”

“It _is!_ It’s just like when _I_ got that bruise.  We’re like twins now.”

“ _Nako-chan!_ ”

Hitomi’s whine and Nako’s laugh rang towards the night sky above as their emotional day had finally come to an end.

 

* * *

 

Korean news outlets had been buzzing all over about the news of politician’s daughter and actress, Kim Minjoo’s murder case from over a year ago being reopened for investigation.  The murder weapon was turned in and suspects and people of interests connected to the case were found, arrested and brought in for questioning.  Family, friends, and fans were celebrating that she was finally able to rest peacefully.

At least that’s what was all over Naver as Nako scrolled through her phone, carrying a familiar bag of coffee back to the office again.  For some reason, even after all they’ve been through together, Nako was still the _coffee runner_.  This must be something the youngest had to go through (although, she was sure that Hitomi was younger than her by a few months).

She rounded a familiar corner, pocketing her phone with a small sigh.  Even though the entire office took a small break after they successfully closed the case Minjoo dealt with a year ago, as soon as they came back even _more_ work piled up for them.  Kwon-Kim Celeb Office never went public with their connection to the famous Kim Minjoo murder case, but through private lines, their name spread far, earning them a valuable reputation

That meant, on top of their regular work, some other cases would be thrown to them if it involved the spiritual world.

Things looked like they would be busy again.

When Nako glanced up from the pavement, she blinked, nearly bumping into Minjoo in the same spot that she almost always stands around.  “Minjoo!”

The spirit blinked, turning around and smiled.  “Nako, I see you’re out getting coffee again.” Her eyes laid upon the bag in her hand and a playful grin played on her lips.  Nako sighed as she stood next to the spirit, “Don’t.”

Nako looked over at the office, noticing a trio of black cars parked in front.  She raised a brow, turning towards Minjoo, “Do you know who’s at the office?”

Minjoo was silent but from the way she stared at the office and the soft smile that spread on her lips told her a different story.  She figured it must have been someone Minjoo knew.

“Someone apologizing for talking down on them for so long.”

Nako’s brain tried to wrack through all the people she heard of or that could possibly be connected to the simple sentence, but nothing came to mind.  Minjoo looked at her again following her silence and the furrow in her brow while she was thinking.

“I heard they found a motive behind that group.  They were trying to get my Father to step down from his position and went after me.  It runs even deeper than that because the group might be connected to one of his rivals.”

Nako silently bobbed her head as Minjoo told her about the supposed motive that surrounded her death.  It was one of the most plausible theories with the most evidence, but no actual confession yet.  “But I’m glad we were able to stop it before anyone else could be killed.”

As Minjoo turned her gaze back to the office, a rather large, yet muscled, man stepped out of the office, followed by another man in a suit and a couple more men.  Nako could make out that the man in the middle seemed to be someone of high status if he was being protected that closely.  The other men lead him to one of the cars, and before he went in, he caught Nako staring from down the street.

Nako’s eyes widen as they made eye-contact.  His eyes were very pretty and almost… doe-like.

He gave her a short nod and disappeared into the car.  The other men returned to the other vehicles and soon the engines roared with life.  In mere seconds, they pulled out and disappeared in the other direction.

Nako glanced at Minjoo, who was still smiling the entire time, watching the direction of where the cars left.  Her eyes were trained on her eyes… and then went to the direction of where the cars were… before back to Minjoo’s eyes.  There was some sort of similarity.

“I think the coffee is getting cold, Nako.”

Minjoo suddenly said as she turned her head towards the short Japanese girl, smiling brightly.  “You should probably hurry back.”

“Ah… Yeah…” Nako nodded quickly, waving to the spirit, “I’ll see you around, Minjoo!”.

When Nako returned to the office, after having to put up with the complaints from her co-workers and her boss about lukewarm coffee (that they could reheat themselves), she noticed a rather large bouquet of flowers that was set on the table in the lounge.  After everyone busied themselves with their coffee and work, she snuck into the lounge to get a better look.

The bouquet was intricately designed with different flowers that Nako had to search on the Internet and read through three different sites to understand the well-put together bouquet.  Lily-of-the-valleys... White roses… White tulips…

She was called by Eunbi to stop snooping around and get back to work.  Being the diligent worker that she always was, she quickly went back to her desk to start organizing her next case. She quickly scratched down the meanings of the flowers on a piece of paper and put it in her desk to think about when she had some free time.

_We can go back to being happy now, you have my deepest gratitude._

_I’m sorry for doubting you, please forgive me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ hello and thank you for reading part 2 and the conclusion of Ghost Story 04! it's been a wild ride (of only 2 chapters) but we've finally came to the conclusion. things developed in a way that even i (the writer) did not expect. 
> 
> thank you for the comments and kudos! i hope this chapter put a nice close to minjoo's story and an end to everyones tears (please don't cry more--). the other izone members will make an appearance but nako, hitomi, eunbi, and chaewon (and minjoo sometimes, she actually plays a bigger role than I thought) are the main cast that the story follows. i'm sorry if your favorites are not involved like how these characters are, but please keep enjoying of ghosts, spirits, or whatever they're called! 
> 
> the last half of the story will go back to the episodic type of chapters before entering the last arc. please keep on enjoying this story! 
> 
> thank you for your kindness and love, it's very appreciative.
> 
> until next chapter!


	6. Ghost Story 05 (Part 1): Maybe it's Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the middle of a busy schedule, Nako is asked for a favor: to investigate a ghost that lingers around a specific school. Nothing harmful comes out of the investigation but she soon realizes that everything was a puzzle piece ready to be put together. But when she does piece it together...
> 
> Pairs: light wonyoung/yujin, yuri/yena

With winter ending and spring starting, things were busy at the Kwon-Kim Celeb Office with minor requests as households are cleaning out their old things from whatever corner they came from. Everyone took a handful of cases to help the workload, but Eunbi burdened the most, reasoning she could finish them much quicker than anyone else in the office. 

Hitomi and Chaewon never questioned her but Nako always thought it was weird. Why was the Boss doing menial tasks that should be left to someone else (like her)? 

On her way back to the office after finishing two minor cases, Nako stopped at a park riddled with rumored ghosts.  From time to time, people tipped them off of supposed sightings, but this part of the job was not of high priority (clients had to come first, they need to make money to live).  

These specific set of tips were from concerned mothers or pet owners, who claim that their children or dog interacted with something they clearly could not see.  Seeing as no one was harmed, it wasn't a high priority to investigate the park. 

Her eyes scanned the area, everything seemingly normal. 

People enjoying the brisk spring weather with a jog down the cemented path. 

Mothers gossiping about the recent drama seen on daytime TV. 

Couples spending a rare time together amid their busy lives. 

Children playing tag—

A cry caught her ears as a girl flopped over with children flying on top of her with a laugh.  The girl rolled over and chased them around the grass, lips protruding out as if she was an angry duck.  The children were obviously not scared, and they fought back against the girl.

Nako raised a brow, they were quite loud, especially the eldest in that group.

"Oh, Nako!" 

She turned around quickly when a familiar spirit called to her.  Minjoo approached her with a smile.

"I didn't know you would be here."

"Ah, I was checking this area on my way to the office." 

She pulled out her phone and showed a map of the area to Minjoo.

The Kwon-Kim Celeb Office kept a database (in actuality, an excel spreadsheet) of tips received. While they could all update it, it was Nako's responsibility to handle with the information. She had to record any rumours received or change it accordingly.  It could be tedious, so it was obvious when the work fell onto her, everyone let out a sigh of relief. 

Luckily for Nako, she had a close senior that helped her transfer the information into something easier to read (Sakura raised a brow at the mess that was the excel spreadsheet when Nako sent her a screenshot).

Minjoo's eyes lit up and she leaned forward to look closer. "Wow… this is really neat. I'm glad that you're more technologically inept than Eunbi-unnie." 

They both laughed after, even when Minjoo was alive and working for the Kwon-Kim Celeb Office, Eunbi's inability to adapt to new technology was obvious.  

A group of laughter overlapped theirs, and they glanced over to the group of children playing tag. Nako shrugged it off, it was just kids being kids… but as she turned her attention back to Minjoo, she raised a brow silently. Minjoo's eyes slightly narrowed and her lips were pursed tightly together in a thin line. 

Clearing her throat, Nako pocketed her phone, seeing as there wasn’t anything abnormal.  “What about you?  I thought you would be closer to the office or with Chaewon.” 

Minjoo tilted her head a little, “I-I was just investigating something.” Her eyes pulled away from the group, returning to Nako and gave her a not-so-convincing smile.  This made Nako arch a brow, “Investigating…?” 

That raised her curiosity, Nako always imagined Minjoo would be spending the afterlife watching over what was important to her before moving on.  Minjoo nodded, sparing Nako a small smile now, “Like what you’re doing now.”  She rubbed her cheek bashfully, “T-There is a reason why sometimes the rumored ghosts on your map _disappears._ ” 

With the small hint, Nako finally understood what Minjoo was doing.  She giggled, “It seems like you’re a workaholic, even in the afterlife.”

There’s a slight huff, “I’m not the workaholic…” Minjoo grumbled underneath her breath.  Her eyes darted over to where the group of kids were, the kids adamantly talking to the older girl, who was patting each of them on the head.  Her eyes narrowed again, watching them carefully. 

The girl pursed out her lips like a duck one more time, before waving to the kids and darted off in a direction.

“... Minjoo?” 

Nako slowly asked.  She watched Minjoo carefully the entire time, noticing her odd demeanor towards that certain girl in the group of kids.  Minjoo’s gaze slowly shifted back to her, and a small smile turned on her lips. 

“Nako, could you investigate something for me?”

 

* * *

 

Nako checked the time on her phone—it was well into the morning, teetering on the time that her colleagues would be settling into their workday. Hoisting the bag of baked goods she had in her arms, she opened the door with a cheerful "Good morning!" 

She was greeted with similar replies as she closed the door quietly and went to her desk, but not without passing out a baked good on Eunbi and Chaewon's desk. 

She received a suspicious look from the both, but Nako smiled back, fluttering her eyes (innocently). "A small thank you gift for helping me settle in." 

Eunbi eyed her still but took the baked good with a small thanks and went back to checking her messages and emails on her tablet.  Chaewon shrugged and enjoyed it. 

Nako settled into her seat, placing the bag between her and Hitomi's invisible border on the desk. Hitomi arched a brow, "That's from a place three stations after our office." She paused, eyeing the bag carefully, recognizing the logo and name.

_"I need to ask for a favor."_

Nako suddenly dipped into Japanese, glancing over at Eunbi and Chaewon who seemed too engrossed in their own work to care. Most of the time, especially in front of their other colleagues, Hitomi and Nako communicated in Korean. One, to help Nako improve her Korean communication skills, and two, to avoid any suspicions from the others. Nako knew Hitomi would be suspicious as soon as she said that in their native tongue. 

" _We're not killing someone, are we?_ " She quickly retorted, keeping a serious expression. 

" _Of course not! I'm not a murderer._ " Nako gasped silently, pretending to be offended. " _I'm sure you have heard about this school…_ " She took a minute to turn on her laptop and search for a certain school on Naver. She showed Hitomi the screen after it came up. 

Hitomi continued to be suspicious, " _It's a famous school known for its academics and arts. I heard many kids who want to break into the industry or are already actors or idols try to go to this school._ " She explained, eyes scanning the wealth of information on the page. " _Are you trying to go there?_ " She joked. 

Nako suddenly fidgeted and looked away bashfully. " _You could say that._ "

A sudden bang cut Nako off, alerting everyone in the office as Hitomi let out a soft whine and quickly rubbed her knee that hit the bottom of her desk in surprise.  She waved Eunbi and Chaewon away with a shaky smile, apologizing silently.  Her eyes darted over to Nako, " _Nako-chan, we haven't been in high school for--_ " 

" _I know, I know._ " Nako waved her hands frantically, " _It's for an investigation from a friend… a Ghost friend._ "

The Japanese hunter softened at the mention of ghost friend, knowing that the friend was Minjoo (unless Nako made more ghost friends she wasn’t aware of).  “ _An investigation?  What is she looking for--_ ”

“Hitomi?  Nako?  Is something wrong?” 

They instantly froze when they heard their boss from across the office.  When they turned their heads to Eunbi, they saw slightly narrowed, dark eyes staring at them from her tablet.  “You two have been whispering for quite a while.” 

“N-Nothing, Unnie.  We’re just talking about something I saw on the way to the bakery.”

Nako made up quickly, holding up the bag with a nervous laugh.  Eunbi didn’t look convinced as she looked at Hitomi for an answer.  Hitomi just nodded her head rapidly. 

“... I see.” Eunbi replied curtly, propping her tablet on her desk and pulling up some files.  “Remember that both of your reports are due at the end of this week.” She said, looking at the two of them pointedly, before starting her work for the day.

Hitomi glanced at Nako, arching her brow.  She was going to kill them if she found out they were neglecting their work.

Nako shoved the bag of baked goods to Hitomi’s side of the desk, “ _I have a plan and I need your help._ ” 

A soft sigh escaped Hitomi's lips as she glanced into the bag—it was full of her favourites.  Despite only knowing each other for a handful of months, Nako knew almost all her favorites.  She looked back at Nako, who was grinning back at her, as if she _knew_.  Eventually, she nodded, and wrote down a quick message in Japanese before turning her attention to her work while biting into one of the delicious pastries.

_If Eunbi-unnie finds out, you're the first to go._

 

* * *

 

An opportunity opened up near the end of the week where both Eunbi and Chaewon would be out of the office and there were no scheduled appointments for the day, so the office could be closed for a brief time.

“Is it just me, or is this kind of big on me…?” 

Nako was pulling at the ends of the school uniform she had on, trying to reach for the ends of the skirt that was way past her knees.  “There’s no way you were that much taller than me in high school…” 

Hitomi, who was dressed casually, stifled her laugh as she watched Nako tug at the clothes on her.  “I honestly haven’t grown since high school.” She took a step forward, comparing her height with Nako at that moment.  If she stood on the balls of her feet and stretched her neck out a little, she could tuck her right underneath.  Playfully, she folded her arms and stared down.  Nako grumbled underneath her breath, “Stop it.  I’m sensitive about my height.”

She trudged forward after rolling up her sleeves as they entered the gates to the giant school in front of them.  It was bigger than any high schools she seen back in Japan, it almost looked like a University campus.  You could even tell that they added on to the school, the older building colored in beige paint that’s kept in good condition, but to the right of it, a pristine white building was attached. 

As they were walking to the entrance, Nako took a chance to sweep the area.  There were students going back and forth, despite it being class hours, there seemed to be a lot of students outside.  Perhaps they had a free period?  Or had activities outside… 

They stepped into the school, changing into a pair of indoor shoes and went in the direction of the office.  They caught sight of students in the hall, greeting those who looked at them quietly, while leaving others alone who went about their own business.

“ _It feels very relaxed._ ” Hitomi muttered in Japanese quietly, as she caught the gaze of two girls who just stared at them.  She shyly nodded in response.  “ _There’s a lot of students around._ ”

“ _I thought they would be in class…_ ” Nako mumbled back, also thinking it was odd.  They stopped at the office and Hitomi went in first to talk to one of the staff to explain their situation.  Nako greeted those who passed by quietly, but kept glancing around, observing everything closely.

_“Schools and hospitals are the most susceptible places to be haunted.” Minjoo explained as they sat down.  “There’s a particular school I would like you to check if you can…  There’s a particular ghost around, but I cannot tell if they are harmful or not.”_

Minjoo left out the details of this ghost, the only hint she gave was _you will know it when you see it._ Nako sighed inwardly, was this some sort of test?  Perhaps Minjoo was secretly trying to sharpen both her and Hitomi’s ghost hunting skills. 

“This is your sister?” 

“Ah, yes.  She just moved here from Japan and we’re just looking at different schools.”

Hitomi came out of the office with another woman, who looked at Nako with a sincere smile.  “You’re very cute.  I just want to put you in my pocket.” She teased gently, making Nako smile back bashfully.  “T-Thank you.  My name is Yabuki Nako.  I hope to enroll here.”  She bowed politely.

The woman laughed quietly, “She is very cute and idol like.  If you’re coming to this school, you must have aspirations or interest for the entertainment industry.”

At the mention of _idol_ and _entertainment_ , Nako felt her lips part a little, but her voice was lost in her throat. She could _see_ the bright lights and the sea of colored lights in the darkened room; she could _hear_ the music blasting from the speakers behind them—

Hitomi cleared her throat, noticing the abnormal silence.  “S-She just wanted to keep her options open.” She quickly filled in, “Is there somewhere that we can start?” 

“We actually called for someone in the student council… Ah, there she is.  Wonyoung!”

From down the hall, a tall and slim girl came, dark brown hair cascading passed her shoulders.  She had a bright smile and wide eyes.  It was hard to not take your eyes off her.  “Teacher, did you need something?” 

The teacher gestured towards Hitomi and Nako.  “We have a pair of Japanese students here.  One is interested in our school and her older sister is accompanying her.” She explained, “Is Yuri and Yujin not around to show them?”

At the name Yujin, Nako was pulled away from staring at the towering girl in front of her.  Yujin?  Wasn’t that the name of that young actor she met before…?  The one friend’s with Minjoo…

A pout was on the tall student—Wonyoung’s face.  “Yuri-unnie is practicing on the other side and Yujin-unnie… well, you know how she is, Teacher.” 

A sigh escaped the teacher’s lips, “I will have to speak to Yujin about avoiding her duties...  I’m thankful that you’re here, Wonyoung.  Could you please show them around?”

Hitomi and Nako couldn’t help but glance upwards at the taller girl—she was a giant!  It felt like her legs were never ending… She probably could be a model if she wanted to…

“ _I can speak a little bit of Japanese.  I’m Jang Wonyoung, it’s nice to meet you!_ ”

Wonyoung greeted them energetically, smiling from ear to ear.  As the teacher left them alone, Hitomi and Nako greeted her back in Japanese.  

“ _I’m Honda Hitomi, and this is my younger sister, Yabuki Nako._ ” 

Nako threw a glance at Hitomi, both brows raising.  Since when was she the younger sister?  She thought the plan was for _both_ of them to be enrolling.  Did she miss something earlier?  Hitomi just winked.  Not wanting to continue to be suspicious, Nako decided to swallow her pride.

She bowed towards the giant in front of them with a smile, “ _It’s nice to meet you._ ”  

“ _Oh, so you have um… different names?_ ” Wonyoung looked between the two of them, blinking curiously. 

“ _Ah, Mom--_ ”

“ _Mom--_ ” 

They started and suddenly stopped and stared at each other in confusion.  This was something they didn’t cover during their discussion earlier.  Hitomi quickly glanced at Wonyoung, laughing nervously, “ _I-I moved here with our Mom and Nako stayed in Japan with Dad up until now._ ”

“Oh!  So, then Hitomi-san can speak Korean fluently?”

Hitomi scratched her cheek in embarrassment, “I-I wouldn’t say fluently but I’ve been living here for a long time and study as much as I can.  You can also drop the formalities, we’re not that much older than you.” 

“Okay, Hitomi-unnie and Nako-unnie then!  I’ll be the best tour guide for the both of you!” 

Wonyoung puffed out her chest with pride and lead the two Japanese “students” down the hall to start the tour.

As Wonyoung marched forward, Nako tugged on Hitomi’s sleeve, mouthing ‘ _really, younger sister?’._  Hitomi had to hide her laugh with a smirk, and patted the top of Nako’s head, before rushing forward to catch up to Wonyoung and to avoid the glare from the _older_ Japanese assistant. 

 

* * *

 

Wonyoung lead them around the rather large high school, showing them the different classrooms and corridors to the places where students typically hung out.  The school was a mix of traditional and modern put together. 

"So, you're a part of the Student Council, Wonyoung?" 

Hitomi asked as they stopped at a long corridor that lead to the other building.  Wonyoung turned to the Japanese girls, still beaming as ever, "Yes! I'm the secretary but…" A soft, yet tired sigh slipped her lips "sometimes it feels like I'm the President and Vice President as well."

The tall Korean girl played with her hands a little as they stood idly by the corridor entrance. "Yuri-unnie is always busy with practicing and attending her auditions while Yujin-unnie…"

Nako perked up a little, hearing the name Yujin. 

"As busy as she is training and attending her commercial shootings, she always somehow avoids doing student council work.” Her fingers continued to fumble with each other, as a small, yet timid smile turned on her lips.  “It leaves me to do the paperwork and attend to student council duties.” 

“But, the two of them are the President and Vice President, aren’t they?” 

Nako glanced over at Hitomi, who had a perplexed expression on her face.  She was surprised at how straightforward Hitomi was being.

“It’s not fair for you to burden all of those things on your own.” Her voice quieted as she took a careful step forward and reached out for Wonyoung’s arm, rubbing it in support.  Nako kept mum but gave Wonyoung a supporting nod as she silently agreed with Hitomi.  She couldn’t help but glance over at Hitomi every so-often, she seemed like a big sister at this moment.

Wonyoung smiled, “Thank you, Hitomi-unnie, Nako-unnie.  You two really do feel like sisters.” She laughed quietly, “Yuri-unnie and Yujin-unnie aren’t that bad though!  They’re both super nice even though they argue sometimes.” 

She glanced down the corridor, “Why don’t we continue our tour?  I’ll show you the new building where a lot of students spend their time training.” She paused once more as they started down the corridor.  “Maybe you’ll get a chance to hear the _siren._ ”

Hitomi tilted her head curiously.  “Siren?” 

Nako’s expression told the opposite, “As in the drill siren?” 

Wonyoung giggled, waving away the practical answer question.  “You’ll see.” 

They entered the new building—it was as typical as a new campus could be, squeaky clean floors and walls, the design modern and sleek, and classrooms suited with state-of-the-art technology and equipment.  It was fascinating to see how much the school pushed these things to help their students achieve their goals. 

At that moment, Nako felt like she really wanted to enroll in this school.

As they went up a floor, Nako noticed a name plate off the side with the word _music_ written on it.  Wonyoung called for both of their attention quietly and held a finger up to her lips.  She gestured for them to follow her as they entered the hallway on that floor.

A powerful, soothing voice echoed the empty halls.  The singer's voice was packed with emotion that told you the story behind the meaning of the lyrics.  

Nako could stand around and listen to it all day.  

With each step closer, the voice became clearer and eventually Wonyoung stopped by an ajar door.  She mouthed the word _“siren”_ to them with a smile.

The music started to quiet down and the voice finished with a strong high note.  Nako was pleasantly surprised, she never could hit that vocal range even if she had proper training.

It was silent, bare some soft panting and a bit of shuffling.

Until clapping and loud cheering ripped through the silence. 

Nako nearly tripped over her feet in surprise, she looked at Hitomi and Wonyoung questioningly—did they interrupt something?  Hitomi wore a similar expression, just as surprised. 

Wonyoung blinked at them, tilting her head a little, wondering if they were okay.  She quickly shook her head and gestured for them to follow her.  She knocked on the door and pushed it fully open.

“Yuri-unnie!” 

Inside the room, a brunette stood in the middle of the room, her phone in one hand and a mic in the other.  She blinked when she heard her name being called, and lowered her phone, “Wonyoung!”

Wonyoung shuffled in, inviting Hitomi and Nako in as well.

Behind Yuri, near the windowsill, was someone who could pass as her _twin_. Her hair was a similar shade of brown and long just like Yuri's. What made her unique was her large lips that were pushed out as she continued to cheer for Yuri. 

At that moment, Nako realized what Minjoo meant by _you will know it when you see it._

Her eyes observed the girl behind Yuri silently, brow furrowing as she was trying to figure out who exactly she was and why she was here. 

"Nako-unnie?" 

She jolted when her name was called and bowed apologetically to Wonyoung and her friend. "S-Sorry, I... Umm… I thought I recognized your friend, Wonyoung." She quickly said, trying to sound convincing. 

Confusion was written on Wonyoung and Yuri's face. Nako added, "You um, look like someone we know! A younger version of her, right Hii-chan?" 

Hitomi raised a brow and Nako mouthed _Chaewon-ssi_ to her. 

Hitomi stifled her laugh behind her hand and agreed with her silently before she started to introduce them to Yuri.

Nako pretended to listen carefully.  Her focus, however, was on the girl by the window. She watched her carefully, the girl having no idea Nako could see her. She also seemed to be mesmerized by the singer in the room that she didn't even notice her gaze. 

After introductions, Yuri placed her things down and walked over to where they stood. The lone ghost snapped out of her reverie, whining, "Awee, I wanted one more song!" 

Nako flinched again. 

"Nako? Is everything okay?" 

Hitomi stared at her in concern but her lips spelled out syllables to a hidden message. 

_Don't pay attention to her right now._

Nako just laughed nervously, rubbing her head sheepishly as she turned to Wonyoung and Yuri who were staring at her, equally as concerned. "S-Sorry, I'm still getting used to Korea." She explained and held hand out for Yuri, "Yabuki Nako" 

Yuri smiled back, shaking her head as she shook the hand. "Jo Yuri. It must be hard moving to a foreign country to continue studying. I always wanted to go abroad." She said, pulling her hand away. "I… I hope I can if I manage to debut as an idol or a singer."

Nako mustered a small smile at the word _idol_ ignoring the small flip in her stomach. "I believe you can one day with your beautiful voice, Yuri-ssi."

Yuri smiled bashfully, "Thank you. I love singing and I hope to help others through my singing."

Wonyoung stood next to Yuri, puffing her chest out in pride, "Yuri-unnie even volunteers at the local hospital singing for sick kids!" 

"Wonyoung…" The other girl whined lightly, flushing in embarrassment. 

The Japanese girls share a heart-warming grin, the tension that unknowingly wounded up started to loosen. 

"Let's take a quick break and then maybe Yuri-unnie can sing another song for us!"

Wonyoung clapped her hands as she wrapped an arm around Yuri so she couldn't get away. Yuri laughed under the tight hold of her junior, shaking her head exasperatedly. "You'll do anything to hear me sing." 

"Hehe, because Unnie is the best."

A bright smile turned on Wonyoung's lips. 

"Why don't we go get drinks? Nako can stay here and watch our bags."

Hitomi suggested, smiling as well. Wonyoung and Yuri agreed and left first. Hitomi trailed behind but shot Nako a knowing look. 

Nako gave her a thumbs up, Hitomi knew how to cover for her.

As soon as the trio of girls left, Nako turned to the ghost that was bouncing with excitement. She didn't even notice Nako. 

"... Hey. I can see you."

Nako said. Her voice made the ghost jump and turned to Nako incredulously with one finger pointed at herself. "M-Me?!" 

"Yes, _you_." She pointed at the ghost to emphasize her point. "Are you haunting this school?" 

The ghost remained in shock, "H-how can a short kid like you see me?! I'm a _ghost_ \--" 

At _short kid_ Nako felt anger boil, fist clenching tightly as her body shook slightly.  She glared at the brunette, "I'm a ghost hunter--" 

"Whoa, whoa! Wait stop please! I just wanted to listen to JolYul sing!" 

Before the word assistant could be uttered, the ghost cut Nako off and in a blink of an eye, she was kneeling in front of her, hands clenched together in a prayer, begging for forgiveness. Nako stumbled backwards at how quickly the ghost moved. Shivers ran up her spine, reminded of the hostile ghosts she encountered. 

"Look, I just want to know why you're here." 

Nako finally said, pushing the ghost slightly away. The ghost staggered up to her feet, patting herself down. "I told you! I just wanted to listen to JolYul sing…" A smile lifted, her hands clasping together and pressed against her chest. "The voice of an angel! One that I listened to before I passed away."

Nako's eyes softened at the mention of the ghost's passing. The ghost continued to bustle with energy, unaffected by her own words, "Now I can listen to her all the time! Except when she's not singing of course."

Seeing that the ghost didn't appear to be harmful, Nako's shoulders dropped a little and her posture relaxed.  "I see… You're just a fan of Yuri-ssi."

"Her number one fan! I claimed it first." The ghost boasted, standing up straight with her chest puffed out. "I'm Yena by the way!" She held her hand out. 

Nako blinked before she slowly smiled back, raising her hand and clasping it around the ghost's. "Nako."

"Sorry for the confusion earlier, Nako! Here let me make up to you with a Yena special!" 

The ghost suddenly leaned forward her arms attempting to wrap around Nako in a bear hug. Nako panicked, stepping backwards and throwing her hands out to stop Yena from invading her space. "W-wait, that's okay, Yena-ssi you didn't do anything--" 

Midst the small tug of war, a voice came from the doorway. 

"Hey, is everything okay?" 

Nako and Yena stopped as they glanced at the doorway at the newcomer.  A familiar tall girl with shoulder length brown hair stared at her, blinking. 

Ahn Yujin. 

No response came from Nako as she just stared with wide eyes and Yena stumbled backwards and hid behind the piano (was it another kid who could see ghosts!?). 

"... You're that girl from Minjoo-unnie's grave…"

Yujin muttered as her brows knitted when she recognized Nako. Her eyes lingered on Nako, confused. "Why are you dressed in that uniform…?" 

Before any explanation can be given, a set of footsteps could be heard coming back and Wonyoung's cheer. 

"Yujin-unnie!" 

Wonyoung, Yuri, and Hitomi were back, hands full with drinks and snacks from the school store. The former pushed Yujin further into the room, her smile seemed to be even wider than before. Nako noticed Wonyoung's normal happy demeanor brightened with Yujin's presence. 

"Wonyoung-ah!" The confusion on Yujin's face erased as quickly as the others came back—it was no wonder why Ahn Yujin was an upcoming star in the entertainment industry. "Why are you all the way here?" 

"We have two Japanese students touring the school!" She gestured towards Hitomi next to her and over at Nako. "Hitomi-unnie and Nako-unnie!" 

Nako caught the way Yujin slightly arched her brow at her, but just smiled shortly after, "Nako-unnie, huh. It's nice to meet you!" Yujin casually strolled over and they shook hands. 

They were both smiling at each other, but by the careful look and the slight, tighter squeeze from Yujin's hand, Nako could tell the tall Korean girl was suspicious. 

They broke apart when someone cleared their throat and Yuri came in between them, handing Nako a drink. She looked unamused at Yujin, like she knew there was something off. "Yah Yujin, you shouldn't be so informal."

"I'm just being friendly! Unless you're _jealous_?" 

She waggled her brows and teasingly leaned over to steal Yuri's drink. Yuri retaliated with a slap and leaned away, "Yah, yah, go take Wonyoung's." 

Yujin pouted and bounded over to where Wonyoung and Hitomi were standing, draping herself all over the other tall girl. "Wonyoung-aaaaaah…." She whined and Wonyoung rolled her eyes, poking a puffed-out cheek. 

"You can just go get your own."

"That's too far."

While Yujin was trying to convince Wonyoung to give her at least a sip, Nako glanced around, eyes falling to the piano where Yena hid. Yena poked her head out, clearly frowning when Yujin was all over Yuri earlier.

Yena caught her gaze and looked away, pretending to have not pay attention. 

"Nako-ssi? Is everything okay?" 

Yuri asked, following the gaze to the piano.  

Nako shook her head, giving Yuri a reassuring smile. "It's nothing. Thought I saw a duck." 

As Nako turned her attention to the others, she noticed from the corner of her eyes the way Yuri's brow furrowed and how the quiet whisper of _duck_ left her lips. 

 

* * *

 

As promised, Yuri sang one song for them. Everyone enjoyed the performance, including an overall enthusiastic Yena.  Nako tried her best ignore the ghost cheering in her ear, but there were a few times she “silently” told the ghost to be quiet.

Hitomi smirked glancing between the two of them but Nako brushed her off coolly. 

It was getting late and the student council still had important work to do.

"I'll get everything set up in the room, could you escort Hitomi-unnie and Nako-unnie please?”  

Wonyoung stood in front of Yujin, eyelids fluttering and giving her best "cute" look to convince the older.  Yujin seemed a bit flustered but with a shrug of her shoulders, she agreed.

After leaving Wonyoung and Yuri, Yujin glanced at Nako and Hitomi beside her. "So, is there something wrong in our school?" 

Nako and Hitomi exchanged looks, then Nako spoke up. "Nothing that I noticed." She thought about whether or not to talk about the ghost that was pacing behind them but decided against it. "What a coincidence though."

A laugh came from Yujin, "I didn't know you were a student." She teased with a smirk, "I thought you were some oldie like Minjoo-unnie, and she graduated two years ago."

A forced cough came from Nako now, this was certainly awkward if Yujin believed she was a high school student still. "Keep it a secret from Wonyoung and Yuri-ssi."

"I know. I figured you must have been working when I saw you talking to something in the room earlier." 

Nako fell silent as they continued down the mostly empty halls—it was late enough that students either left school, went to club activities, or went to study.  She was impressed at how observant and put together Yujin was despite her energetic and playful image. 

"You're the President of the Student Council, right?" 

Hitomi suddenly asked from beside her as they stopped at the automatic doors of the exit.  Yujin blinked and chuckled nervously, rubbing her collarbone. "I am."

"Then why is Wonyoung taking care of everything by herself?"

Nako glanced at Hitomi's sudden outburst, concerned for her partner. The Japanese girl bore holes into Yujin though, ignoring her worried eyes.  There was a hidden fire in Hitomi's eyes that Nako could not quite grasp.  She noticed her swallow but kept a steady gaze on the Korean. 

"I… don't mean for her to." Yujin's voice was surprisingly hush. "I really don't." 

Hitomi's eyes narrowed. 

"It's difficult." Yujin muttered after and quickly shoved Nako suddenly. "You two should go, we still have work to do."

Nako stumbled as she was shoved and glanced at Yujin. She noticed how her eyes downcast in pain.  

It was the same pained look and the forced back sob Nako saw at Minjoo's grave where she first met Yujin. 

Silently, Nako grasped Hitomi's hand and nodded at Yujin.  "Thanks for today, Yujin.  Maybe I'll enroll for real."

She teased before she quickly pulled Hitomi with her, smiling back at Yujin's thankful grin and her small wave. 

"I look forward to it, Nako-unnie."

They left the school, a certain ghost trailing quietly behind, who watched them from afar the entire time. 

 

* * *

 

It was dead silent between Nako and Hitomi. 

Nako could tell Hitomi was at the very least, annoyed. Even if they held very short conversations, the way that she held her shoulders and how her lips were pursed tightly together, Nako could tell she was upset. 

Nako also knew it was better to let out those frustrating feelings, but she would be a hypocrite if she told Hitomi. 

It took a steady breath and swallowing whatever reservations she held before the silence and tense atmosphere got to her. 

"Hii—" 

"I'm sorry."

She held her tongue back when Hitomi finally spoke up, her shoulders sagging downwards defeatedly.  Hitomi bit her lip gently, her fingers gently curling around each other.  "I didn't mean to snap like that at the school. I… Just didn't want Wonyoung to be taken advantage of." 

Nako nodded in understanding, there was no way Hitomi would get angry just for the sake of being angry. She squeezed her shoulder for comfort.  A small smile curled on Hitomi's lips. 

"Thank you. My older sister and I both had issues like Wonyoung in school. She found solace in idols and it eventually gave her the courage to stand up for herself… And well, I ended up here." 

She explained slowly, glancing upwards and smiling at the old memories. "We made sure to teach our younger brother not to let others bully him. But because we were so tough on him, it looked like we were bullying him."  She laughed shortly after.  It eased the tension between them and Nako smiled.

“You’re a kind sister.” She replied finally, reminded of how Hitomi treated Wonyoung earlier.  Hitomi smiled bashfully back.

The tense atmosphere slowly disappeared, and they fell into familiarity as they reached the office. Nako waited patiently as Hitomi fished for her keys in her bag and as soon as she held them, she opened the door to the stairs to their office.

"Whoa, is this some sort of private detective office?!" 

A loud voice clapped in their ears and Nako and Hitomi jumped. Nako turned around on her heels, now remembering who was following them this entire time. "Ye—" 

The wind was knocked out of her briefly when Hitomi ran into her out of surprise. "Who's there?!" 

Yena stood just an arms length behind them, blinking. She eventually looked at Nako with a blank expression. "She can't see me too?" 

"She… Can…" Nako wheezed, blinking repeatedly to regain her senses. She patted Hitomi's back, "I-it's just a harmless duck." 

"I'm not a duck!" Yena's lips puckered out, which made her look even more like a duck. 

Slowly, Hitomi eased off Nako, staring at Yena curiously. Yena held out a hand to her, "I'm Yena!"

"Hitomi." 

After the short introductions, the ghost stood up on her tiptoes to have a better look into the office.  “So, you two are um… cops?” 

“For ghosts like _you_.”

Nako quipped playfully, laughing when Yena jumped, panic in her eyes.  “W-Wait, ghost… cops?  You’re both alive though, I thought-” 

“We’re similar to private investigators, but for the supernatural.”  Hitomi quickly corrected, raising a brow at Nako who shrugged.  Rolling her eyes, she returned to Yena.  “Our office specializes in taking care of spirits like yourself.” 

Yena slowly bobbed her head, her eyes sparked with interest.  “That’s so _cool_.” She looked between the two, “Do...do you think I can be a ghost hunter-person thing too?!” 

“A… what?” 

Nako and Hitomi exchanged looks of confusion, before staring at the ghost.  Yena puffed out her chest, “A ghost hunter!  Like you two.  I’m pretty strong.” She flexed her arm to show off her muscle there.  Hitomi tried to hide her laughter but it came out as a small giggle.  

"I'm not sure if we are in any position to be hiring new employees." Nako said, amused as well. "We can put in a word with our resident ghost who can help you." She glanced around, not seeing Minjoo anywhere—she must be doing her own thing or with Chaewon. 

"Great, it sounds like I'm hired!" Playfully, Yena threw her arms around the two, "Show me the office!" 

The two Japanese girls exchanged looks again, and Hitomi couldn't help but reaffirm in their native tongue, _"She really is a harmless duck."_

Nako laughed quietly in agreement while Yena started loudly boasting she knew they were calling her a duck again. 

 

* * *

 

With the conclusion that everything at the school was normal (with a few oddities here and there but not abnormal enough to pursue and investigate), work continued as normal.  Yena eventually met Minjoo and after begging her to take her in, the latter reluctantly agreed to teach her more about her "work" —or whatever Minjoo did.  

A large white building towered over Nako as she checked the address on her phone to make sure she was in the right place.  Hospital assignments were quite normal for the Kwon-Kim Celeb Office because they were commonly haunted areas, but Eunbi normally cared for them. With the amount of people located in hospitals, it was important to be able to tell the difference between hostile and non-hostile ghosts. 

However, small send-off assignments like this one was handed down to someone like Nako, who could do this in between her busy schedule.  

It was still too early to head to the 4th floor where she was supposed to meet her client, so she decided to walk around the courtyard. It was a chance to relax and reflect on everything. 

Although, she grew apprehensive as she stared at the white pristine building. If Nako had to be honest, she hated hospitals. Not just because of her phobia of needles (although Sasshi always said she was exaggerating), but it was _horrifying_. 

The vile smell of sterile equipment and clothing, the soft groans of people in pain and suffering, the multitudes of differing cries from people because their loved ones were taken away—

She hated it. She hated them so _much_ —

"Nako-ssi?" 

A soft voice called out, reigning Nako back into reality. It made her narrow down on her heavy breathing and her clammy palms.  She whirled around, jerking away from the hand on her shoulder. She blinked when she stared at the girl a few centimeters taller with straight brown hair. 

"Y-Yuri-ssi…"

Yuri's eyes stared at Nako in concerned, not even caring about how quickly she jerked away. Nako felt guilty for troubling her and heaved in a couple of breaths to calm herself.  She gave a shaky, apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Yuri shook her head quickly, "Are you alright? I noticed you were spacing out…" 

Nako nodded, "I'll be fine. I just remembered some things." She cleared her throat, "What are you doing here? A check up?" 

Yuri noticeably perked up, shaking her head once again with a smile. "It's my volunteering day. So, I'm here to sing."

At the mentioning of singing, Nako immediately remembered something Wonyoung mentioned when they first met. Yuri sang for sick children at the hospital. 

"I see. I'm surprised you can keep up with this in between your work at school, training, and auditions." 

She barely had enough time to keep up with Twice and other groups she used to follow since Eunbi entrusted her with more responsibilities. It was crazy how someone training to be an idol and still in school had time to do other things. Yuri smiled bashfully, "I really enjoy it and it's hard to let go of something so meaningful to me." 

Yuri's eyes slowly drifted to the side, scaling along the Hospital. Nako noticed the looking of longing in her eyes and became curious. Was she searching for something?

In the midst of the silence, Yuri turned to Nako, flashing an apologetic smile. Nako knew she was disappointed, unable to find what she was searching for. 

"Is everything okay?" 

Nako asked cautiously, glancing at the hospital wall that Yuri was looking over. She didn't see anything other than the windows.  Yuri followed her gaze, "I was just looking for someone."

She took out a slightly worn and crumpled envelope. "Shortly after I started singing at the hospital, I received a fan letter. Even though I was basically a nobody, someone wrote sweet words to me that… Kept me going." Her thumb gently ran against the envelope. 

"I don't know their name because they never left one but… They always drew this."

Nako gently took the envelope handed to her. The front had _To JolYul_ written on it and when she flipped it over, a picture of a duck was scribbled on. 

She handed the envelope back to her, smiling. "It's a very sweet gesture."

"I treasured each letter they sent. But they stopped sending letters over two weeks ago. I hope that they were able to leave the hospital and return home." 

Yuri's eyes moved upwards as she smiled in a silent prayer, hoping that her words reached her fan. Nako slowly nodded in understanding, the words of fans were powerful, whether they believed it or not. 

"I'm sure they're just waiting for you to debut. They're your fan after all."

At her words, Yuri laughed quietly. "Then I'll do my best to debut." 

 

* * *

 

The fourth floor of the Hospital was surrounded in complete silence.  After riding the elevator, Nako noticed the hallway lead to another area hidden behind two automatic doors. Just before entering the next area, there were signs that emphasized the importance of silence and to completely turn off cellphones. 

Never the rule breaker (not counting her first few weeks here), Nako shut her phone down and went through the sliding doors.  

Silence wrapped around her like a blanket, but the atmosphere was completely different.  The temperature was set comfortably, a little bit on the warmer side. The area was bright, the walls painted in soft colors in comparison to the white walls outside of the automatic doors. Above, a simple sign with _Palliative care_ , hung from the ceiling. 

Realization started to sink in, and the silence almost made Nako shiver.

She approached the front desk and introduced herself. A nurse was paged shortly after and soon Nako was led down the silent hallways, peering through some of the open rooms as the nurse explained to her about Palliative Care. It seemed so surreal, everyone looked like they were content despite their constant fight against death. 

It was as if they were at peace and ready to move on. 

Nako swallowed a hard lump in her throat, reminded of everyone and everything she encountered. 

"This was her room." 

Stepping into the room, Nako was greeted with that awful sterile smell she hated so much and took a much-needed step back to regain her senses. The nurse didn't seem to notice, her eyes trained on the lounge chair that sat by the window.  Nako forced herself forward, searching for the objects she was asked to retrieve.  It didn't take her long to find a box sitting on the night table by the bed. 

"Did the patient have a lot of belongings?" 

She asked curiously as she opened the box by the table, peering inside. 

"Not a lot, her parents spent most of their earnings keeping her in the hospital and on their older son because of his dream to be an idol."

Nako paused in her search, glancing over her shoulder. The nurse with her, Nurse Jang, was overcome with emotion, tears brimming the corner of her eyes.  This made her bite her lip gently and nod, "She must not have a lot to do."

"Yena actually spent a lot of time by the open window."

_Yena?_

Whatever shock that hit her, Nako hid it with a furrowed brow as she returned to the contents in the box.  As Nurse Jang mentioned, there wasn't a lot of things: a duck plush toy, an old game system, a couple of comics… Underneath the books was the back of an envelope—a picture of a duck drawn on it.  She flipped it over to see who the receiver was and blinked when a familiar voice fluttered into the room from the open window. 

It started to make sense to her now, as Nako listened silently to the song that was sung and stared at the front of the envelope with a somber smile. 

_To the best singer, JolYul~_

 

* * *

 

Nako generally wasn't a believer of fate, but everything that had happened during the past week was too connected to be just a mere coincidence. All the parts fit so nicely together as if it was a puzzle. 

It made her rub her head, maybe she shouldn't be surprised at this point, she worked with the supernatural after all.  

As she rounded the corner and down the street to their office, she checked the box of objects from the hospital, everything, even though they were a bit worn, was intact and well taken care of.  She wondered how to hand the objects to Yena—it would be kind of sad to roast her duck.  The other things were also an issue, books and paper were easy to burn but game consoles not so much... 

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she trudged up the stairs to the office.  Yena’s things most likely would have to be buried at her family’s grave for the ghost to receive them safely (once she passed on that was).  She stepped into the office with a quiet “I’m back.”

"Oh? Nako-chan, you're back quite late."

Hitomi called from her desk, not looking up from her laptop. The sounds of tapping against her keyboard told Nako she was working diligently on that report that was due tonight. It reminded her that she also had to finish her report… 

Nako let out a heavy sigh as she sank into her chair, placing the box on her side of the desk. "The interview in the afternoon ran late so I couldn't go to the hospital to pick up the belongings of the deceased until later." She explained, leaning heavily back now. "And would you believe it, the things belonged to Yena."

"Yena?" Hitomi repeated, the taps halting as she peered next to her with a raised brow, "the same Yena that's tied to Minjoo now?" 

Nako simply nodded as she uncovered the box once again and grabbed the letter she placed off to the side.  She read the print again—the letter addressed to JolYul, or as they knew her, Jo Yuri.  "To think she's connected with Yuri-ssi…"

A laugh came from her partner and desk mate, the typing started again. "It seems that everything you get involved in somehow connects."

Nako grumbled a reluctant agreement, sometimes her and Hitomi thought too much alike.  "Fate is a weird thing."

"But it's what brought all of us together."

A brow raised as Nako placed the envelope down and looked at Hitomi, who glanced back at her with a wry grin. Nako couldn't help but grin back, "It seems so. But when were you so elegant with your words?" She leaned over, tapping the cheeks playfully, "Do you write lyrics for idols or something?"  

Hitomi's cheeks reddened and she pushed Nako away, "Get back to work Yabuki, or else Eunbi-unnie will have our head for slacking this week." 

With one last laugh and hum, Nako slid her chair back to her half of the desk and started up her own laptop. She was going to need a few more hours to get this done.

Except those few hours never came as a wind pushed open their door—Yena appearing before them, huffing and puffing as if she sprinted all the way here. Nako and Hitomi scrambled with the loose papers and laptops that shook and stuttered as the ghost appeared. 

"Yena?!" 

Yena stared at them and immediately grabbed their hands.

"I-I need your help! JolYul and her friends… I…I-I think they're in danger!" 

Nako and Hitomi exchanged worried looks, but the ghost tugged at their hands (which didn't do much), desperately begging them to follow her.

Reports be damned, emergencies needed to be answered, even if their client was a ghost. 

They just hoped Eunbi would have mercy on them later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ it's been a while hasn't it! hello and welcome to a new chapter of ghosts, spirits, or whatever their called.
> 
> thank you for the kind comments about the conclusion of minjoo's arc, i'm glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it and that everyone is together again! a reader has been wondering about nako's past and well, we will get to that eventually, so you have to take the small crumbs as they show up. :) 
> 
> i know the update was extremely slow this time around, and i can only apologize for it. the plot for this arc was redone about three times and then when writing it, because of the length that it was pushing, it became a split chapter like the previous arc. i won't leave you all hanging for another three months (hopefully!!!).
> 
> we finally have everyone from IZ*ONE showed up or at least mentioned now in the story! yujin has also returned as a main character for this arc along with yuri, wonyoung, and yena. minjoo also has a ghost buddy now (lol). this chapter (and arc) in general was particularly difficult to write because i had no idea what to do or how to tie it to bits and parts of the over arching plot line of the story. i honestly didn't know how to tie yujin, yuri, wonyoung, and yena as well, so their story had the least amount of notes written when i first started the outline. i had a chance to discuss it with a good friend and after that i made a second revision... and then when i finally figured out how to tie everything together, i had to do a third revision. i'm pleased with the outline now and i hope to deliver a good conclusion to the arc!
> 
> i hope you have enjoyed the start of this and will stick around until the end! as always, thank you for your kudos and comments, i love reading each one and appreciate seeing them.
> 
> until next chapter!


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